Payton Pritchard erupted for a season-high 42 points and Jaylen Brown added a triple-double, helping to lead the shorthanded Celtics to an impressive road win over the Cavaliers on Sunday night.
Boston played without Derrick White (calf) and Neemias Queta (ankle) against a beaten up Cavs squad that was also missing four rotation players. However, the Celtics got massive efforts up and down the roster to pull off the victory on a tough back-to-back.
Pritchard was instrumental early in helping Boston build up a lead that stretched to be as much as 21 points in the second half behind sensational shot making from inside and outside the arc. Pritchard was 15-of-22 from the field and 6-of-11 from 3-point range. Brown struggled with his shot (19 points, 3-of-13) but did everything else for Boston, piling up season-highs in rebounds (12) and assists (11) on his way to his fourth career triple-double.
Boston looked to have the game wrapped up leading by 11 points with 1:45 remaining, but a frantic 16-7 run by the Cavs at the end of regulation gave the hosts a chance to force overtime. However, an Evan Mobley jumper at the buzzer missed badly, giving the Celtics their best road win of the year.
Jordan Walsh also posted his first career double-double in the victory with a career-high 14 points and 11 rebounds while Anfernee Simons added 17 points off the bench in the victory. Evan Mobley finished with a team-high 27 points and 14 rebounds in the setback for the Cavs.
Boston improves to 11-9 on the season with the victory and now gets a day off before hosting the Knicks at TD Garden on Tuesday night.
Here are four takeaways from the Celtics’ thrilling win:
**Payton Pritchard steps up with Derrick White out:** The veteran point guard had a major onus on his shoulders as the No. 2 option for Boston with White out and was up to the task. He was red-hot out of the gate, scoring eight of Boston’s first 10 points, and overcame some first-half foul trouble to put together his best performance of the year. The efficient guard also scored 10 points in the final three minutes of regulation to help prevent the Cavs from pulling off a late comeback. He scored 15 of Boston’s 27 points in the fourth quarter.
**Jaylen Brown gets his wish at the free throw line:** The All-Star guard has been vocal all year long about his inability to get to the free throw line consistently, including after a tough loss to the Wolves on Saturday. He came back out aggressive against an undermanned Cavs defense, missing their starting center Jarrett Allen and his aggression paid dividends. Brown got to the free throw line a career-high 16 times, knocking down 12 of his attempts in the win. He also matched his career-high with 11 assists and grabbed a season-high 12 rebounds, doing it all for Boston on a night they desperately needed him with two of their best players out of the lineup.
**Jordan Walsh solidifies his spot in the starting five:** The third-year forward was starting to see his hold on a starting spot loosen after a pair of underwhelming performances over the past week. However, Walsh bounced back in a big way in Cleveland, chipping in with some crucial secondary scoring and work on the glass. He posted a career-high with 14 points and 11 rebounds in his first-ever double-double to help keep Boston’s offense afloat against the Cavs firepower. His six offensive rebounds were also a career-high and helped lead to 16 second-chance points for Boston.
**Xavier Tillman emerges in rotation once more:** After being the odd man out of the rotation for the past month, Tillman got the call to start at center with Queta sidelined. He was up to the task when facing a tough assignment in Evan Mobley all night, posting nine points and six rebounds in 30 minutes. He also chipped in with three steals and showed little rust for a guy who had not played since Nov. 18 and only saw 13 total minutes in the month of November. Queta is expected to be back in the lineup on Tuesday night, but Tillman played well enough that he should be a consideration again for Joe Mazzulla off the bench.