CLEVELAND — The Detroit Pistons own the East’s best record for the time being, but it’s the Cavaliers and Boston Celtics who are the two betting favorites to win the conference head to the Finals this spring. That potential playoff matchup adds another chapter, as the Celtics travel to Cleveland to play the Cavs March 8 at Rocket Arena.
And this one’s a day game, combined with Daylight Savings Time. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m.
The Celtics enter the March 8 matchup 42-21 and 3.5 games behind the Pistons for the East’s top seed. The Cavs enter 39-24 and holding the No. 4 seed.
Follow along here for live score analysis, highlights and updates from the Cavs-Celtics game March 8. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m.
Celtics blowing out Cavaliers
Some boos have found their way to Rocket Arena, as the Celtics are shooting the Cavaliers out of this game and now lead 81-55 with 3:53 left in the third quarter.
The Cavs have had two nice stretches to start the first and third quarters, and outside of those two short spurts, Boston has dominated this one.
Jaylen Brown is up to 20 points to go with eight rebounds and six assists. Jayson Tatum has 14 points and two rebounds, and the Celtics should be able to rest him in the fourth quarter, if they wish.
The Cavaliers simply have had a horrendous shooting day, and as the Celtics heat up from behind the 3-point line, Cleveland is unable to keep up.
Cavaliers cut into Celtics lead in third quarter
Similar to the first half, the Cavs have started the second half on fire, and a 14-6 run to open the third quarter has trimmed Boston’s lead to 62-50.
Donovan Mitchell has led the charge with six points in the quarter thus far. It’s the first sign of life for the Cavaliers’ offense since early in the first quarter. Most notably, Cleveland is 2-for-4 from 3-point range.
Cavs trail Celtics by 20 at halftime
Cleveland fans might want to avert their eyes from the first-half box score.
The Celtics will take a 56-36 lead into the second half. The Cavs shot just 29 percent from the floor. They’ve hit only two of their 23 3-point attempts.
Sam Merrill, Keon Ellis, Thomas Bryant and Dennis Schroder are a combined 0-for-12 from the floor.
Celtics build double-digit lead vs Cavs
The Cavaliers are having one of their worst shooting games of the entire season, and that’s not going to work against the Celtics, who now lead 48-33 with 3:29 left.
Thomas Bryant is having, simply, a brutal game. He started 0-for-4 from the floor, then was called for an offensive foul and then missed a layup, drawing some jeers.
The Cavs are shooting 30 percent from the floor and have hit two of their 19 3-point attempts.
The loudest cheer of the day so far was for Richard Jefferson, who’s in the arena announcing the game for ESPN and was a ember of the 2016 championship team.
Cavaliers, Celtics score as Cleveland struggles from 3-point range
The Cavs have had plenty of open looks but haven’t been able to hit them, and Boston now leads 42-28 with 6:55 left in the second quarter.
The Cavs are just 2-for-16 from 3-point range. Thomas Bryant is 0-for-3 from 3, and Donovan Mitchell has missed both of his attempts as well.
Cavs go scoreless for nearly four minutes
The Cavs offense has suddenly hit a wall, and several shot attempts haven’t been particularly close.
From 45 seconds left in the first quarter to 9:05 to go in the second quarter, the Cavs offense went scoreless for 3:40. The Celtics, in the meantime, built a 39-28 lead.
Celtics lead Cavs after first quarter
The Celtics responded beautifully to that early timeout and will steadily built a 35-26 lead following the first quarter.
After that initial 11-3 run by the Cavs, the Celtics outscored Cleveland 32-15 over the final nine minutes of the quarter.
Jayson Tatum has a game-high 12 points (4-for-6) with two rebounds and an assist. The Celtics hit six of their 10 3-point attempts.
Evan Mobley has nine points and two blocks thus far. The Cavs have been feeding him heavily near the rim, though Boston has adjusted.
Jayson Tatum leads Celtics back vs Cavs
Jayson Tatum, in his second game back from a torn Achilles, has looked great so far. He has five points and an assist to Derrick White, which led to an easy dunk that tied it, 13-13, with 6:39 left in the first quarter.
Considering the average return from an Achilles injury for NBA players, it’s pretty wild Tatum is even on the floor.
Cavs, Celtics score update
The Cavaliers are off to a fast start and have opened a quick 11-3 lead a little more than three minutes into the game.
Evan Mobley is tormenting the Celtics early with seven points, outscoring Boston himself. The run led to a quick Celtics timeout to reset.
Below is some pregame information.
Cavs injury report vs Boston Celtics
The Cavs have an extensive injury report for this one, though a few names on the list could be active.
Center Jarrett Allen has been ruled out with right knee tendonitis. Guard/forward Max Strus remains out and has yet to make his season debut following offseason foot surgery. Tyrese Proctor is sidelined with a quad strain.
James Harden (thumb fracture) and Keon Ellis (index finger fracture) are both available. Donovan Mitchell (groin strain) and Dean Wade (ankle sprain) are both probable.
The Celtics will be without Nikola Vucevic (finger fracture). Baylor Scheierman (thumb fracture) is listed as available.
Cleveland Cavaliers game on TV. How can I watch, stream and listen to Cavs vs Celtics tonight?
The March 8 game between the Cavs and Celtics will be televised nationally by ABC. The local radio broadcast can be heard via WTAM (1100-AM) or WMMS (100.7-FM).
Ryan Lewis covers the Cleveland Cavaliers and Guardians for the Akron Beacon Journal. He can be reached at rlewis1@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavs score, injury report vs Celtics as top two East contenders battle
Reporting by Ryan Lewis, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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