BOSTON (AP) — Jaylen Brown scored 20 of his 33 points in the third quarter and the Boston Celtics snapped
their three-game losing streak Sunday night by cruising to a 141-103 victory over the Cleveland
Cavaliers.
Kemba Walker added 21 points, Daniel Theis scored 17, Carsen Edwards had 15 and Marcus Smart had 12 for
Boston, which posted a season high in points in a half, taking a 73-51 edge into intermission. Brown
played just 19 minutes.
"We needed a win," Brown said. "We lost three in a row. Being back on our floor, we wanted
to make sure we came out with great intensity and we did."
Collin Sexton led Cleveland with 13 points, far below his team-leading average of 26.8 per game, as the
Cavaliers’ three-game winning streak ended.
Coming off impressive back-to-back victories over the Brooklyn Nets in which they scored 147 and 125
points, respectively, the Cavaliers were simply never in this one.
Boston pushed the ball out on the fast break, getting several easy looks that it converted while the
Cavaliers missed 10 of their initial 13 shots.
"I thought our defensive intensity was good for most of the game and I thought our offense fed off
of it," Boston coach Brad Stevens said.
Brown made it look easy in his limited playing time. He’s scored 25 or more in four straight games, the
longest stretch of his career.
"He’s in a great rhythm scoring," Stevens said.
Behind Smart’s 10 points and Brown’s nine, the Celtics shot 60% and pulled to a 38-21 lead after the
opening quarter.
They pushed it to 41-21 on Walker’s 3-pointer on the first possession of the second quarter.
"We can’t get complacent. We won three games in a row," said Cleveland guard Jarrett Allen, who
scored 12 points. "We came out flat, almost like we expected to win. We have to come out
hungry."
The Celtics used a 15-0 spree to pull ahead 96-59 on Walker’s 3-pointer from the left wing that sailed
through the net as he was falling to the floor with 6 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter. It came a
possession after Brown nailed a 3 from directly in front of Cleveland’s bench. From there, both coaches
gave ample playing time to their reserves.
TIP-INS
Cavaliers: Sexton had scored 20 or more points in 15 straight games. … Andre Drummond had 11 points and
five rebounds, his second time this season falling short of a double-double. … F Kevin Love missed his
13th straight with a strained calf.
Celtics: Rookie guard Payton Pritchard was sidelined with a Grade 1 right MCL sprain he sustained in the
last game. … No starter played more than 27 minutes. … Like they did before the previous two games,
the players huddled with their arms around each other during the national anthem. … Stevens had a
one-word answer after when asked if Walker would play Monday in consecutive games: "No."
Walker has been working his way back from a left knee injury that delayed his start to the season.
TATUM’S RETURN
Jayson Tatum has been cleared to play Monday night against the Chicago Bulls, Stevens said. Tatum missed
his fifth straight game Sunday due to COVID-19 protocols.
HE LOOKS FAMILIAR
Boston C Tristan Thompson spent his first nine seasons with Cleveland before signing as a free agent with
the Celtics during the offseason.
He greeted his former team by scoring Boston’s first basket.
UP NEXT
Cavaliers: Host the defending champion Lakers on Monday night, opening a stretch of six of their next
eight at home.
Celtics: At the Bulls on Monday, beginning a stretch of seven of their next eight on the road.
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