Celtics improve to 12-0 at home to match team’s best start at home since 2008
BOSTON — Jayson Tatum scored 27 points, Jaylen Brown had 22 and the Boston Celtics beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 116-107 to improve to 12-0 at home.
The Celtics started a tough week with their second important win in a row on Thursday, claiming a sweep in their mini two-game series against the Cavaliers with a 116-107 victory.
All five Celtics starters finished in double figures against the Cavaliers, with Jayson Tatum leading the way with 27 points and 11 rebounds for his 10th double-double of the season. Jaylen Brown, who was questionable heading into the game with a sprained ankle, had 22 points to go with a team-high five assists.
Kristaps Porzingis added 18 points, Jrue Holiday had 15 and Derrick White 14 for the Celtics, who have the best record in the Eastern Conference. Tatum added 11 rebounds, and all five starters scored in double figures.
“I thought we could have played a lot better, to be honest,” Brown said. “I thought we played a little lethargically and allowed them to keep the game kind of close. That’s kind of dangerous against certain teams; they’re in striking distance and can get hot at any moment. We’ve got to do a better job of putting teams away.”
“I just try to find moments, find opportunities to be aggressive, and try to pick my spots in the best way I can,” Tatum said.
Joe Mazzulla pointed out that home court isn’t everything. “You’ve got to think, two years we go to the Finals without home-court advantage, last year we don’t go,” he said. “Just trying to get back to my first couple years when we were just electric at home, and we have been so far,” he said. “It’s a good test for us tomorrow.”
After making all 26 free throws in Tuesday’s win, Boston was 17 of 20 from the foul line.
According to the NBA’s stat site, Tatum is scoring 1.30 points per possession (95th percentile), and Kristaps Porzingis is scoring a staggering 1.48 points per possession (99th percentile), while Brown is clocking in at a respectable 1.07 points per possession (67th percentile). The analytics no longer go away from the post, at least for the Celtics.