Jaylen Brown, Celtics make statement with upset rout of Cavaliers

The Cavaliers are the favorites to finish atop the Eastern Conference standings this season The bulk prognosticators view the depleted Celtics as a fringe playoff crew at best Despite those radically different expectations Boston was the better club Wednesday night at TD Garden trucking a shorthanded Cleveland squad - Jaylen Brown scored points to lead the Celtics who had eight players reach double figures in the lopsided win One of those was fourth-year pro Josh Minott who posted an -point -rebound double-double with three steals and a block in his second career start Neemias Queta also recorded a double-double in his fifth battle as Boston s starting center points rebounds three steals and was a game-best plus- in his minutes Derrick White added points Payton Pritchard dished out assists and Sam Hauser and Anfernee Simons combined for points off the bench while shooting -for- from -point range All five Cavaliers starters scored in double figures but none reached points Donovan Mitchell a Celtics killer in several of their previous matchups managed just two points on -for- shooting over the final three quarters The Cavs were playing without All-Star point guard Darius Garland and rotation players Max Strus and Sam Merrill It was the second straight -point domination for the Celtics who have bounced back well after opening the season with three consecutive losses for the first time since Boston will expedition to Philadelphia on Friday for a rematch against the ers who handed the Celtics a one-point home loss on opening night Five games in we ve got left head coach Joe Mazzulla noted We ve got to do it every night But there was a lot of minutes over the last two three games where we ve had like This is who we have to be ' The Celtics started red-hot from -point range drilling eight of their attempts during a -point first quarter Much of that long-range production came from Hauser points -for- from three who sank three -pointers in his first seconds of floor time and a fourth just over a minute later The veteran sharpshooter who led the Celtics in -point shooting percentage last season and has never shot worse than from deep in his career went -for- on -pointers in the first quarter with one coming after he grabbed an offensive rebound off his own miss Simons also went -for- from beyond the arc in the opening minutes But the Cavs were somehow even hotter during that same stretch They attempted first-quarter threes and made of them an incredible clip including a scorching -for- start from Mitchell who was questionable for the competition with a hamstring injury The Celtics defense held up well in other areas forcing four early turnovers and not an offensive rebound until midway through the second quarter but Cleveland s deluge of threes gave them a - lead after one The combined made -pointers were one shy of the NBA record for any quarter But both teams cooled down substantially as the evening wore on The event turned late in the second quarter when Mazzulla called for a timeout with to play in the half and his Celtics down - Brown drew a foul on the ensuing possession and his two free throws kick-started a - Boston run featuring particular of the smoothest the bulk efficient basketball the C s have played since their offseason overhaul Brown was the catalyst for that surge pouring in points in the final four minutes before halftime He closed the half by burying a -footer with seconds remaining then hitting an off-balance three over Dean Wade as time expired to put the Celtics ahead - Brown s first-half scoring line points -for- -for- on -pointers -for- from the foul line with of those points coming in the second quarter Boston s second-quarter flurry also featured lob dunks by Queta and Minott on back-to-back possessions The latter came after White poked the ball away from Mitchell from behind a signature move for the two-time All-Defensive selection Minott who was moved into the starting lineup Monday night in New Orleans also had a meager not-so-positive moments late in the first half He turned the ball over on a drive after passing up an open corner three and later fouled Mobley in the backcourt on what should have been the final possession before halftime A frustrated Mazzulla subbed Minott out after the foul but Brown bailed the -year-old out with his halftime buzzer-beater He s done a good job Mazzulla announced He just has an understanding of what the standard is how he has to compete Just his ability to make plays on both ends of the floor his versatility He still gave up a few plays He has to get better at that so he ll continue to work on it Defensive rebounding the Celtics main bugaboo in their three losses this season became an issue in the third quarter helping Cleveland stay within striking distance The Cavs grabbed six offensive boards in the frame and turned them into second-chance points Boston buoyed by two missed Mitchell free throws and a banked-in deep three by Simons took a - lead into the final quarter Those problems persisted in the fourth but the Celtics made the plays necessary to ensure their lead never dipped below double digits Minott made two of those hitting a -pointer from the corner and then pulling down an offensive rebound to set up a White three Pritchard also did his part to keep the Cavs at bay scoring a tough -footer and fast following it up with a layup in traffic after Queta intercepted an errant Mitchell pass Cleveland head coach Kenny Atkinson accepted defeat with remaining sending in what was left of his shortened bench with the Celtics ahead - Other observations Hugo Gonzalez spent three minutes guarding Mitchell during a first-quarter cameo adding the Cavs star to a list of assignments that already included Jalen Brunson and Cade Cunningham But those were the only minutes the rookie played before garbage time in this one Boucher was the lone DNP-CD for Boston and Jordan Walsh only checked in for mop-up duty Walsh has hardly played this season five total minutes and Boucher has seen his minutes decline in all five games a surprise after the veteran big man put together an encouraging preseason Baylor Scheierman eight minutes and Xavier Tillman three had bit parts in the win as Mazzulla mostly stuck with an eight-man rotation