Without Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen, Cavaliers lose to Celtics in Game 4
CLEVELAND — The Donovan Mitchell-less Cavaliers gave it a run, but the Celtics were too much to overcome without their star guard, and Cleveland fell to Boston 109-102 in Game 4 of their second-round series Monday night at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
The Celtics now have a 3-1 lead as the series returns to Boston for Wednesday night's Game 5, when they'll have a chance to close out the Cavaliers.
The Cavs are facing elimination for the first time since Game 7 of their opening-round series against the Orlando Magic.
The Cavs cut it to a five-point deficit, 102-97, with under two minutes to go. With a chance to again climb to within one possession, Max Strus missed a 3 and then committed his sixth foul while going for the rebound, ending his night. Jaylen Brown then buried a 3 at the other end, and that was just about it.
Brown and the Cavaliers shared words after the shot, and Brown had to be held back by coaches as both teams returned to the bench in a heated moment.
Earlier, the Cavs kept pace in the first half almost entirely through their 3-point shooting. They hit 11 of their 25 (44 percent) first-half attempts from behind the 3-point line to stay within striking distance of the Celtics, led by Max Strus, who nailed all five of his 3-point attempts.
The Celtics, meanwhile, maintained a small lead almost entirely through Jayson Tatum, who poured in 23 first-half points on 8-of-14 shooting, including a contested layup and a step-back 3 in the final minute of the half to open up a five-point advantage. But for a team without Mitchell or center Jarrett Allen, the Cavs presented a scrappy effort to give Boston trouble for much of the night.
The Cavs' hot streak from 3-point range cooled during halftime, though. Cleveland hit only 1-of-10 from 3-point range in the third quarter, and the Celtics built a 10-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. Without Mitchell, that was a mountain of an advantage for the Cavs to overcome.
While the Cavs cooled from 3, the Celtics began to plan cleaner basketball, committing only one turnover after totaling 10 in the first half. That combination kept the Cavs from closing the gap, and Boston cruised for most of the fourth quarter.
Mitchell missed Game 4 with a left calf strain. His status for Game 5 is unknown. Allen has been out since Game 5 of the Orlando Magic series with a ribs injury. Facing the top-seeded Celtics, it puts the Cavs in a precarious position. And they're not facing elimination Wednesday night in Boston.
LeBron James takes in Cavs-Celtics Game 4
Monday night's game had some celebrity guests, including LeBron James and Khloe Kardashian.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavaliers without Donovan Mitchell lose Game 4 to Boston Celtics
