Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers preview, injury report, and info - November 15, 2021
Boston.com
The Boston Celtics will look to get revenge tonight against a Cleveland Cavaliers team that they lost to just a couple of nights ago. Boston blew a 19-point lead in that one and looked absolutely terrible in the second half. The loss took them back down below .500 on the year, so they will now look to get back to that mark once again.
Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers game preview, injury report, and info
How to Watch
Location: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, Ohio
Time: 7:00 p.m. (EST)
Channel(s): NBC Sports Boston, NBA League Pass
Team Breakdowns
Boston blew a giant lead for the second time this season their last time out. After a solid first half, they crumbled in the second, allowing the Cavs to chip away at their lead until they were back in it. The defense looked solid all night, but a lack of offensive execution in the second half was a killer. They reverted back to isolation hero-ball when things started to go downhill and it did not work, as one would expect. A huge number of turnovers (19) was another killer, as they had 11 in the second half alone.
Some positives from the game were Dennis Schroder and Robert Williams. Although Schroder needs to work on not turning the ball over, he played pretty well for the second game in a row vs. Cleveland. He shot 10-19 from the field and had 28 points. He wasn’t able to hit the game-tying shot at the end of regulation, but he played well, regardless. As for Williams, he continues to be a menace on the offensive glass. His fight on the boards has been incredible for the past few games.
For Cleveland, they found their success when running through point guards Darius Garland and Ricky Rubio. Garland carried them through the first half while Rubio led the charge on the run that got them back in the game. Boston just couldn’t seem to stop Rubio as he led Cleveland all the way back in it. Rookie Evan Mobley deserves a shoutout, too. He looked great on both ends of the floor for the Cavs and was making some tough shots in the fourth quarter. Even Cedi Osman looked solid. He hit a big-time three in the fourth, keeping up Cleveland’s momentum, and also played great defense on Schroder on the final play of the game.
Injury Report
Boston will be without Jaylen Brown (hamstring) once again for this game, and the same can be said for two-way player Brodric Thomas. However, both Josh Richardson (knee) and Al Horford (back), who didn’t play last game, have been upgraded to probable for tonight’s contest.
Kevin Love and Lauri Markkanen both remain out, as they are both dealing with COVID health and safety protocols. Lamar Stevens is once again questionable for the game tonight, and Collin Sexton will be out for a long while after tearing his meniscus in his left knee.
Keys to the Game
The most important key to this game is to play a full 48 minutes. After the collapse they had in the second half of their last game, this has to be something that head coach Ime Udoka is preaching in the locker room. There is no point in playing great basketball for an entire half just to throw it all away in the second. It was painful to watch, and probably even more painful to talk about after the fact in the locker room. They just can’t let up in the second half, and if the Cavs do go on a run, they need to answer it without trying to do too much on offense.
Next up, the C’s need to do a better job of communicating on defense They’ve been a great defensive team over this last stretch of games, but a few mental lapses cost them big-time last time out. The biggest one that comes to mind is the Rubio to Jarrett Allen alley-oop late in the fourth quarter. Someone was supposed to drop back and cover Allen when Marcus Smart switched off, but that never happened. It led to an easy bucket and the Cavs kept up their momentum. They just let Cleveland tear them apart in the second half.
Finally, Jayson Tatum needs to make some shots. It’s been great to see him making an impact in other areas of the game, but it’s time for him to start scoring again. That’s what his main role on the Celtics always has been, and that’s what it always will be. His shooting struggles are one of the main reasons Boston has gotten off to a slow start this season. He needs to figure it out sooner rather than later at this point.
Pregame Show
Make sure to tune in to our live pregame show, “The Banner Town Build Up.” We are live 30 minutes before every Celtics game at @GuyBostonSports on YouTube and Facebook. See you there at 6:30 p.m. (EST) tonight!
