Cleveland Cavaliers get ‘statement’ win over Boston Celtics in showdown of NBA’s best

NEW YORK – Donovan Mitchell scored 35 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers avenged a heartbreaking loss with a 115-111 victory over the Boston Celtics on Dec 1 in a matchup of the top National Basketball Association (NBA) teams.

Mitchell scored 20 points in the fourth quarter as the Cavs rallied from 14 points down in the second half to defeat the reigning NBA champions.

The Cavaliers started the season 15-0 but suffered their first loss in Boston in November by 120-117 and dropped their two previous games, both to the Atlanta Hawks, before staging a fightback home triumph.

“For us, we’ve got to go out there and make a statement,” Mitchell said.

“They beat us in the NBA Cup. No excuse. We’ve got to go out there and try to build. We had two losses that really hurt. We weren’t playing like ourselves. We needed this win.”

The Cavs improved to 18-3 to stay atop the Eastern Conference, while the Celtics fell to 16-4 as Cleveland snapped Boston’s seven-game winning streak.

“You’ve got to trust your work and what we’ve been working on since training camp,” Mitchell said.

“That’s the biggest thing. That’s what you saw tonight and that’s what it’s going to continue to be.”

The Celtics were without starting guards Jaylen Brown, due to illness, and Derrick White, who has a sprained right foot.

“Just because they’ve got two guys down, they’ve got a lot of guys who are capable,” Mitchell said. “You’ve got to respect them. They’re champions for a reason.”

Cleveland led 51-49 at half-time but the Celtics dominated the third quarter for an 84-72 lead entering the fourth.

Jayson Tatum scored 17 of his 33 points in the third period to lead Boston.

Mitchell responded in the fourth, making a floater that gave the Cavs a 103-101 lead with 67 seconds remaining and concluded his run of 11 consecutive Cavaliers points.

“The biggest thing is you’ve just got to pick your spots, find your moments throughout the game,” the guard said.

“They kind of went on a run and in the fourth quarter I started to make my imprint.”

Darius Garland, who had 22 points, joined Mitchell in hitting key free throws late to clinch the victory.

“We executed on both ends of the floor,” said Mitchell.

“I scored offensively but we were getting stops and finding ways to get rebounds, loose balls, different things. That’s what ultimately ended up getting us the W.”

Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said: “I thought at the end of the third, beginning of the fourth, we missed four or five open shots (and) got some empty possessions.

“Had a couple balls didn’t go our way. Had a blocked shot, two or three, so I think it was just the flow of the game and I thought they made more plays than us down the stretch.”

In a battle between the Western Conference leaders, Fred VanVleet scored a season-high 38 points to lead the Houston Rockets over the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder 119-116.

Houston improved to 15-6 while the Thunder, led by 32 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, fell to 15-5.

Rockets coach Ime Udoka told ESPN: “I wouldn’t say a statement (win). It just shows growth on our part... We’re building on last year – the mindset of who we want to be going forward.”

VanVleet added: “The foundation that we’re laying, it’s easy to see it when you’re just competing. But to see wins against good teams at different stages of the season, it’s a good sign that what we’re doing is working. We’re getting better.”

Meanwhile, French star Victor Wembanyama had a triple-double with 34 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists to spark the San Antonio Spurs to a 127-125 victory at the Sacramento Kings.

The centre told ESPN: “I think we adapted pretty well to their scouting report. The triple-double is just a by-product of making the right choices.”

Also with a triple-double was three-time NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic, who produced 28 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists in a losing cause as the Denver Nuggets fell to hosts Los Angeles Clippers 126-122.

James Harden had 39 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds to lead the Clippers. AFP