Boston Celtics snap a 5 game losing streak; Beat Cleveland Cavaliers 86-83 - NBA Recap
Ray Allen’s clutch free throws with 2.4 seconds remaining in game, paved the way for a Boston Celtics victory over Cleveland Cavaliers, 86-83 at Quicken loans Arena on Tuesday.
Despite the fact Celtics snapped a five game losing streak there was no jubilation on their bench as they left the arena in a sombre mood. Boston coach Doc Rivers was certainly not content with team’s performance.
"It was a win, that's all it was for us, it was a good way to end the losing streak, but we have to be better than that. That was awful."
Ray Allen scored a team high 22 points and Kevin Garnett netted 18 and had 8 rebounds. Brandon Bass along with Paul Pierce chipped in with 12 apiece while surprisingly point guard Rajon Rondo remained scoreless for the first time
in the season but did manage to dish out 11 assists.
The Celtics were brilliant from the charity stripe as they connected on 92.9% of their shots and also shot 44.6% from the floor. In what was a closely contested game there were 9 lead changes and 11 ties, even though Cavs had a
poor shooting night, hitting 39.7% from the floor and 68.0% from free throw line.
They had a phenomenal boost from rookie Kyrie Irving, who was sidelined temporarily due to bruised elbow in 2nd frame. The point guard still scored a game high 24 points and 19 of those came in the second half.
Tristan Thompson had a double-double coming off the bench with 13 points and 10 boards while Ramon Sessions also had 13 points for the Cavs, who also got 10 points from Omri Casspi in their 19th loss of season.
Boston opened the game with a 9-4 run and after the Cavs fought back to make it 10-11, the C’s raced to a 13 point unanswered stretch to make it 24-10.
The first quarter ended with the Celtics holding a 28-15 lead, but they went cold in the 2nd period. With 09:36 left in the first half, the Cavs shifted gears and went on a 12-2 run to reduce the deficit to 5 points,
35-30. Boston shored their defence in the ensuing g passage and ended the segment with a 43-38 advantage.
The Cavs opened the 3rd quarter with 13-8 run that tied the score at 51 apiece. The game was tied for 3 more times in the 3rd quarter, which ended with the Cavs holding a 66-64 lead. The same pattern followed
into the last stanza and a neck to neck game, with no decisive run from either side kept the crowd at the edge of their seats. The game was tied at 78 each with 02:50 in hand.
Pierce broke the deadlock with a jumper, but the Cavs responded with three free throws to make it 81-80. On the next Cavs possession, Kevin Garnett made a steal on Irving and handed the ball to Allen for a flush. Irving missed
a jumper and after snatching a rebound, Garnett did the same on the other end. He however managed to get the ball and drew the foul from Antawn Jamison. The Boston big made both shots from the line. Irving hit two freebies and brought the scores close at 84-83,
but the decisive pair of free throw was netted by Allen and as the time expired.
Cavaliers coach Byron Scott appreciated the effort displayed by his team.
"That was a tough one to lose. I thought our guys really competed and played hard. I loved the effort, and as I told them after the game, we have to continue to play that hard if not harder."
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