The Celtics got a huge performance from Jayson Tatum, but the Cavaliers pulled away late on Friday to claim a 123-116 victory.
Here are the takeaways.
Donovan Mitchell keeps demolishing the Celtics’ defense.
Friday’s game will give fans on both sides plenty of ammunition to argue over, but one thing has remained consistently clear on Cleveland’s side, dating back to last season: Donovan Mitchell is a real problem against the Celtics, and he has been for a while.
The Celtics generally struggle against twitchy guards, and Mitchell is as twitchy and explosive as they get – for evidence, look no further than his first half dunk on Derrick White where he had the presence of mind (and the physical ability) to pull the ball all the way over his head to avoid the shot block and power it down with both hands.