“Take care of business at home” - Donovan Mitchell sends message to Celtics after heroic effort to steal win on road
Donovan Mitchell spearheaded the Cleveland Cavaliers to upset the -13.5 favorites Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals Game 2 on Thursday, stealing the home-court advantage heading into Game 3 in Cleveland.
The Cleveland Cavaliers clinched their first road victory of the NBA playoffs, stunning the Boston Celtics and the TD Garden crowd with a decisive 118-94 win.
Following the game, Donovan Mitchell was asked by the sideline reporter on what the win meant for the team, to which he replied:
"Tonight we executed very well, but at the end of the day, it's one win, you know, continue to build upon it, take care of business at home and protect home court."
Initially, it appeared that the Cavaliers could secure a playoff victory even with Donovan Mitchell not leading the scoring. Mitchell, who had averaged 39 points in Cleveland's last three postseason contests, managed just six points by halftime.
However, he dominated after the break, netting 16 points in the third quarter alone and finishing with 29 for the game. The Cavaliers asserted themselves in the latter half, outscoring the Celtics 64-40.
With about five minutes left in the matchup, Boston's coach Joe Mazzulla effectively threw in the towel, substituting most of his bench players as the home crowd began to file out.
Closer look at Donovan Mitchell leading Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 2 vs Boston Celtics
The Cavaliers found themselves trailing by nine points early in the first quarter but surged ahead with an 11–0 run, driven by Evan Mobley’s 11 points and supplemented by Caris LeVert’s six bench points. By the end of the quarter, Cleveland had secured a 30–24 lead, effectively silencing the crowd in Boston.
The Cavaliers have struggled with their perimeter shooting throughout the playoffs, but they found their groove in Game 3. Cleveland hit 46 percent of their three-point attempts, going 13-for-28 from behind the arc. Mitchell led the charge with a 5-for-7 showing, while Garland added an efficient 4-for-5 from distance. Strus contributed two more 3-pointers, with Mobley and Okoro each knocking down one.
The Cleveland Cavaliers ended the third quarter with a 90-78 advantage, highlighted by a challenging three-pointer from Donovan Mitchell on the left wing. Even with Celtics' star Jayson Tatum contesting and Jaylen Brown nearly doubling him, Mitchell’s shot capped a 36-24 quarter advantage for the Cavaliers.
As the fourth quarter began, Cleveland, driven by Mitchell, maintained their command. Mitchell quickly scored seven straight points, quieting the home fans as he led the Cavaliers to deliver the hosts their second defeat in the 2023-24 NBA Playoffs.