The Cleveland Cavaliers have beaten the Boston Celtics twice over the last week, and both games required overtime.
The Cavs overcame a double-digit deficit and made more clutch plays than the Celtics in the fourth quarter and OT to secure a 114-113 victory Wednesday night at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 30 points on 10-of-26 shooting. His turnaround shot at the buzzer in overtime hit the rim and bounced out. Cleveland's backcourt was pivotal in the outcome as Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland combined to score 54 points and dished out 18 assists.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Boston sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
The Cavaliers are now alone in second place in the Eastern Conference standings with a 6-1 record and a six-game win streak. The Celtics are in fifth place at 4-3.
The C's will return home to host the Chicago Bulls at TD Garden on Friday night. But before we look ahead to that matchup, here are three takeaways from Celtics-Cavs.
1) Huge run sparks Cavs turnaround
The Celtics led by six at halftime and increased their advantage to 66-54 with 9:05 remaining in the third quarter. And then it all fell apart for Boston as Cleveland went on a 29-10 run to take a 83-76 lead entering the fourth quarter.
It was one of two quarters in which the Cavaliers scored 33-plus points. Big quarters for the opponent have been a theme for the Celtics early in the season. They have allowed 10 30-point quarters in eight games. They have 13 quarters of 29-plus points allowed.
The Cavaliers have now scored 29 or more points in five of eight full quarters (excluding overtime periods) versus the Celtics in two matchups over the last week.
Boston Celtics
The Celtics ranked No. 1 in the league in points allowed and opponents' field goal percentage last season. They are No. 18 and No. 19, respectively, in 2022-23. The Cavaliers are a huge reason why the Celtics' have dropped so much in both categories.
2) Darius Garland will be an All-Star this season
If healthy, there isn't much stopping Darius Garland from being named to the All-Star Game in February.
The Cavs guard is one of the most explosive offensive players in the league, and he had the entire repertoire on display against the Celtics. He scored on drives to the basket. He was effective from the mid-range and also shot 5-of-11 from 3-point range.
Garland finished with a team-high 29 points on 9-of-20 shooting, along with 12 assists, five rebounds and three steals in 42 minutes. It was a fantastic all-around performance from the 22-year-old guard in his return to the lineup after missing Cleveland's previous five games.
3) Al Horford shined at both ends of the floor
Al Horford didn't play great when these teams met last Friday. He scored 12 points with just two rebounds and the Celtics were outscored by 20 when he was on the floor.
The veteran center made a much stronger impact Wednesday.
Horford scored 12 points with 12 rebounds, one block and a steal in 40 minutes. Boston outscored Cleveland by 11 with Horford on the floor.
Most of Horford's shot attempts this season have been 3-pointers, but he used his muscle on the low block with success on several occasions against the Cavs.
The Celtics are a much tougher team to beat when Horford is spacing the floor, playing great defense and cleaning the glass like he was Wednesday night. The Cavs just made more plays down the stretch in this game.
4) C's taking advantage of free throw line
The Celtics didn't shoot well from 3-point range (11-of-41, 26.8 percent), but they were able to keep the score close with their success at the free throw line.
Boston entered Wednesday as the second-best free throw shooting team at 85.2 percent, and they improved that mark with a 26-of-27 (96.3 percent) showing against the Cavs.
Brown (7-of-7) and Jayson Tatum (8-of-8) didn't miss once from the line.
The Celtics still need to do a better job drawing fouls and getting to the foul line. They are 21st in the league in free throw attempts at 22.5 per game. But when the Celtics do get these opportunities, they are certainly making the most of them.