The Boston Celtics led by as many as 29 points on Sunday afternoon, and cruised past the Cleveland Cavaliers 108-83 in game one of the Eastern Conference Finals at TD Garden in Boston. The Celtics lead the best of seven series 1-0.
Boston held the Cleveland to just 30 percent shooting in the opening half and held a 61-35 halftime lead. The Cavaliers then outscored the Celtics 29-17 in the third to cut the deficit to 78-64. Boston scored the seven first points of the fourth quarter that sparked an 18-4 run to build the lead back to 28 and led in the quarter by 29, and Cleveland never got closer than 20 the rest of the way.
Jaylen Brown led four Celtics in double figures with a game high 23 points and eight rebounds. Marcus Morris had 21 points and 10 rebounds. Al Horford had 20 points, four rebounds, and six assists on 8-10 shooting. Jayson Tatum added 16 points, six rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Boston made 11-30 from three point range.
The Cavs were led by Kevin Love who had 17 points, eight rebounds, and three assists. LeBron James had 15 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists. Boston also forced James into seven turnovers and 19 points under his playoff average of 34 points per game. Rodney Hood and Jordan Clarkson added 11 and 10 points respectively. Cleveland made only 4-26 from three point range, including 0-14 in first half. The Cavs were also held to 83 points, after averaging 106 per outing so far in the playoffs
Game two of the series is Tuesday night at 8:30 pm at TD Garden.
CLE 18 17 29 19- 83
BOS 36 25 17 30- 108
