The Boston Celtics have won their opening game of the 2024 Eastern Conference semifinals. On Tuesday at the Toronto Dominion Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, the Celtics defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 120-95.
The Celtics were led offensively by shooting guard Jaylen Brown of Marietta, Georgia. He had 32 points in 34 minutes. Four other Celtics players reached double digits in points. Point guard Derrick White of Parker, Colorado had 25 points, small forward Jayson Tatum of St. Louis, Missouri had 18 points, point guard Payton Pritchard of Tualatin, Oregon had 16 points off the bench, and point guard Jrue Holiday of Los Angeles, California had 14 points. Two Celtics reached double digits in rebounds. Tatum had 11 boards, and center Luke Kornet of Lantana, Texas had 10 boards.
The Celtics got off to a strong start offensively. They had 40 first quarter points to take a 40-34 lead after 12 minutes. It should be noted that even though the Cavaliers scored 34 first quarter points, it was a decent first quarter for the Celtics defensively as they did not turn the basketball over.
Another reason for the Celtics success was their three-point shooting. They made 18 of 46 shots from downtown. White made seven three-point shots. He now has made 20 three-point shots in the last three games. Brown and Pritchard meanwhile had four three-point shots each, while Holiday made two and center Al Horford of Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic made one.
The Celtics have also been very strong defensively in the postseason. They have limited their opponent to under 100 points in five of six games. The only time Boston’s opponent scored more than 100 came in game two of the first round when they were beaten 111-101 by Miami.
