Three big numbers from Celtics' streak-busting win over Cavs

The biggest number from the Boston Celtics’ streak-snapping win over the previously undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night is, rather obviously, 1. The Celtics are now the 1 in Cleveland’s 15-1 record.

But that was far from the only notable digit on the night.

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From Al Horford’s timeless defense to Jayson Tatum’s drive total to Jaylen Brown’s desire to match up with Cleveland superstar Donovan Mitchell, here are a few more of our favorite numbers from Tuesday’s NBA Cup showdown: 

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-14.2

That’s how far below expected field goal percentage that Al Horford held the Cavaliers during his spectacular 31 minutes and 36 seconds of floor time in Tuesday’s win. Cleveland players were a mere 9 of 24 shooting (37.5 percent) when Horford was tagged the primary defender in the NBA’s (imperfect) camera-based stat tracking. 

Horford seemingly was everywhere in this game. With the Celtics playing only their second game in six nights, the 38-year-old looked even more spry than he did during a big offensive outing against the Raptors on Saturday.

It all culminated with Horford snagging a defensive rebound midway through the fourth quarter and breaking out in transition like a point guard, setting into motion a crucial Payton Pritchard 3-pointer as the Celtics stiff-armed the Cavs’ second-half charge.

Horford’s defense was stellar in this game. Twice in crunch time he produced big blocks, first chasing Darius Garland all the way to the rim for a swat, then denying a cutting Georges Niang soon after.

Horford finished with a team-high 14 shot contests, more than double any of the other seven Boston players who saw the floor. 

The Cavaliers’ effective field goal percentage plummeted with Horford on the court. Cleveland was at 54.8 percent for the game (and 72.4 percent during backup big man Neemias Queta’s floor time). But that number dropped to 46.9 with Horford on the court. Boston’s defensive rating was a team-best 103 during Horford’s floor time. (The Cavs were at 123.2 for the game). 

Here are more of Horford’s notable matchup numbers:

• Garland was 1-of-8 shooting with only two points against Horford, who registered two blocks and created a turnover as the primary help defender against the speedy guard.
• Mitchell was 1-of-5 shooting with two points and a turnover against Horford.
• Evan Mobley finished with seven points on 2-of-5 shooting with Horford designated the defender over a robust 6:26 of matchup time. Mobley had two turnovers against Horford.

16.7

That was Mitchell’s field goal percentage with Brown designated as the primary defender in Tuesday’s game.

Mitchell generated four points on 1-of-6 shooting against Brown, though he did draw two shooting fouls. Against all defenders not named Brown and Horford, Mitchell was 11-of-18 shooting for 29 points. 

Brown and Mitchell have been friendly rivals since the NBA’s trip inside the bubble in 2020, and Brown always seems to get up for that head-to-head matchup. Brown again showed why he yearns to be in that All-Defense conversation by guarding the opposing team’s primary scorer. 

Offensively, Brown created a team-high 22 assist points while handing out eight helpers. He and Tatum both had 12 potential assists, which is a monster spike from Brown’s typical playmaking numbers.

Brown is averaging 7.6 potential assists per game this season, fourth-best on the team behind Tatum (12.3), Jrue Holiday (8.0), and Derrick White (7.8).

20

That was the team-high number of drives Tatum produced against the Cavaliers, generating 11 points and three assists on those forays to the hoop.

This is the second game in a row that Tatum has kicked his drives into high gear. He generated 17 drives against Toronto on Saturday night. For the season, Tatum ranks 50th in the NBA at 9.6 drives per game. He averages 6.3 points per game off drives, shooting 52.4 percent out of them.

Brown deserves credit in this spot, too. He has also averaged 18.5 drives per game over Boston’s last two contests. Despite his poor shooting overall against the Cavaliers, Brown shot 66.7 percent (4 for 6) on 16 drives, including muscling home two late layups. What’s more, Brown passed eight times out of his drives leading to five assists. 

Good things continue to happen when the Celtics’ All-Star tandem attack the basket instead of settling.