Celtics secure back-to-back victory against Cavaliers, leading series 3-1

BALAYAN, Batangas— The Boston Celtics secured a back-to-back victory, 109-102, against the Cleveland Cavaliers and are still leading the series, 3-1, after their fourth game in the Eastern Conference semifinals in Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, Ohio, on Tuesday, May 14 (PHT).   

Jayson Tatum of the Celtics led the way for the team with 33 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists, together with Jaylen Brown, who contributed 27 points and 8 rebounds.   

The Celtics had a shooting percentage of 51.2 from the field and successfully made 13 out of 34 shots from 3-point range.   

Boston was ahead by nine points at halftime with a score of 57-48, then pushed the lead to 23 by scoring the initial 14 points in the third quarter. 

In a post-game interview, Tatum said that basketball is a thing he can do or go to no matter what. 

  “I’ve been in the second round every year almost, in my career. So I’ve been here before. Most of these guys have to just just stay poised. You know, whatever adversity we got to fight through, we got to fight through it,” Tatum said.   

For the Cavaliers, Darius Garland paved the way for the team after having a record of 30 points, 3 rebounds, and 7 assists alongside Evan Mobley and Caris LeVert, who each scored 19, and remained competitive with the Celtics, who were only 10 points behind as they entered the fourth quarter.   

The Celtics increased their lead by 15 points with a jumper by Brown, but the Cavs responded with a 10-2 run as Garland and Dean Wade made 3-pointers.   

Moreover, the Cavs’ point guard, Donovan Mitchell, is currently out of the game due to his left knee injury, which he sustained during the fourth quarter of Game 3.   

The Celtics can close out the Cavs with a win in Game 5, which will be held at their homecourt on May 16 at 7 a.m. (PHT) and Game 6, if necessary, would be back at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on May 18 at 8 a.m. (PHT).