Boston Celtics launch long homestand against NBA-best Cleveland Cavaliers

BOSTON – The Cleveland Cavaliers will be looking to extend their eight-game winning streak on Feb 28 (March 1, Singapore time), when they visit the Boston Celtics in a matchup between the top two teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA) Eastern Conference standings.

Cleveland lead Boston by 6½ games, but have lost two of the three meetings against the Celtics this season.

Boston prevailed at home 120-117 on Nov 19, and 112-105 in Cleveland on Feb 4. Cleveland, who have the best record in the NBA, earned a 115-111 home win against the Celtics on Dec 1.

“We’re playing well,” Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said. “Now the real test is Boston. We’ll see if we can keep our standards high, go in there and get a win.”

He added that he does not want to use a “vanilla” game plan in an attempt to keep things hidden in the event the two teams meet in the play-offs.

“We still have to prove we can beat them – beat them at their place,” he said.

“I think we go in there kind of guns blazing. We gotta go for the win, whatever it takes. Throw everything out there and then after that game, we’ll kind of surmise what we can do in the play-offs, but we’re not going to hold anything back.”

De’Andre Hunter is shooting 50 per cent from the field and averaging 14 points per game in six games since the Cavaliers acquired him from the Atlanta Hawks.

“He’s not just trying to fit in,” Atkinson added.

“He’s really come into our team with force and imposed his will at both ends. Sometimes after a trade, guys just want to fit in, they don’t want to step on anybody’s toes. But he’s just struck the right balance at both ends.”

Darius Garland has missed Cleveland’s past two games – the last of which was a 122-82 thrashing of the Orlando Magic – with a left hip contusion. He is averaging 21.3 points and 6.7 assists in 30.1 minutes per game.

Boston’s six-game winning streak came to an end with a 117-97 road loss to the Detroit Pistons on Feb 26. It was the fifth time the Celtics failed to score at least 100 points this season.

They were without Jaylen Brown (left thigh contusion) and Luke Kornet (personal reasons). Brown is the team’s No. 2 scorer (22.9 points per game) and Kornet is averaging 5.2 points and 17.2 minutes per contest.

Top scorer Jayson Tatum (26.6) said because the Celtics won last season’s NBA championship, they have to be at their best – or close to it – every game if they hope to retain their crown.

“In recent years, we’ve gotten everybody’s really good shot,” he said.

“Now, on a nightly basis, we get everybody’s best shot. We’re like the standard... and that’s with any NBA champion the next year. They are the standard.

“We do a really good job of responding, and I have no doubt we will do that Friday night.”

The game will kick off a seven-game homestand for Boston. The Celtics have an 18-10 record at home this season but are 24-7 on the road.

“We’re going to be home for a while,” Tatum added. “Get back to defending our home court, get some wins and just play well in front of our home crowd. That’s what I’m looking forward to.”

In NBA action on Feb 27, Golden State star Stephen Curry drilled 12 three-pointers in a scintillating 56-point display that carried the Warriors to a 121-115 road victory over the Magic.

He finished two shy of former teammate Klay Thompson’s record for most three-pointers in a game in 2018.

In Milwaukee, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 28 points with 19 rebounds and seven assists as the Bucks withstood Denver star Nikola Jokic’s 27th triple-double of the season in a 121-112 victory over the Nuggets.

Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Jokic scored 32 points with 14 rebounds and 10 assists, but he was held to six points in the fourth quarter as the Bucks clamped down defensively for their fifth win in their last six games. REUTERS, AFP