Donovan Mitchell scored 40 points to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 118-114 overtime victory over the Boston Celtics in a heavyweight clash of the Eastern Conference rivals on Monday. The Celtics lost three consecutive games in the season with the loss, leaving them short-handed without stars Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, and Robert Williams III.
The Celtics went into Monday’s game against Cleveland desperate for a victory after losing consecutive games against the Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks. Boston’s hopes of breaking out of their mini-slump ran into a red-hot performance from Mitchell, who scored 40 points and drained two free throws with 5.8 seconds on the clock in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 109-109.
Grant Williams misses chance to clinch the game for Boston
The game went into overtime, and Boston’s Grant Williams missed two free throws with less than a second left on the clock that would have given the Celtics a victory. Cleveland managed to escape with the win.
Mitchell scored 11 points in the final 2:14 of the fourth quarter and added two more in overtime to give the Cavaliers their third straight victory. Mitchell shot 14-of-23 from the field, 4-of-9 from 3-point range, and 8-of-8 from the free-throw line.
Boston had a chance to win the game in the final seconds of regulation but failed to capitalize. The Celtics had a golden opportunity to win the game when Lamar Stevens fouled Williams at the basket, but Williams missed both of his free throws. Williams had a chance to make amends for his missed free throws in overtime, but he missed a crucial 3-pointer that would have given the Celtics the lead.
The Cavs capitalize on Boston’s depleted lineup
Boston’s lineup was weakened without Tatum, Horford, and Williams III, and Cleveland took full advantage. Kevin Love finished with 19 points and 14 rebounds, while Collin Sexton added 16 points and six assists for Cleveland.
The Cleveland Cavaliers managed to clinch a victory over the Boston Celtics in a nail-biting overtime game. Donovan Mitchell was the star of the game, scoring 40 points and leading the Cavs to their third straight victory. The depleted Boston lineup, missing Tatum, Horford, and Williams III, could not keep up with the Cavaliers’ impressive performance. Despite having a golden opportunity to win the game, Boston failed to capitalize, allowing Cleveland to escape with the win.
