Cavaliers lose to the Celtics at the buzzer 104-103
BY STONE LEXINGTON
CAVALIERS BEAT WRITER
With Leading by as many as 15 points in the first quarter, it seemed like the Cleveland Cavaliers were on their way to blowing out the Boston Celtics Friday night. Instead, the Celtics battled their way back to hand the Cavs a 104-103 loss via an Avery Bradley three-pointer at the buzzer.
“We can’t think that at the end of the game any one play was bigger than the other,” Cavs guard Iman Shumpert said. “Throughout the course of the game, we had chances to put them away and we didn’t.”
Leading 103-99 with seven seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, the Cavs (35-14) all but had the game locked up. However, the Celtics (30-22) had the ball and Boston small forward Evan Turner converted a layup with four seconds to play that brought the Celtics within two points. Unfortunately for Cleveland, shooting guard J.R. Smith was whistled for a foul on the play, sending Turner to the free throw line. Turner missed the freebie, but the ball went out of bounds off of a Cavs player, giving the Celtics the final possession of the night. The result was Bradley’s three-pointer to win the game as time expired.
“I think it was a broken play,” Shumpert said of the Celtics last possession. “I don’t think they even anticipated for it to go like that, but it went like that.”
LeBron James led Cleveland with 30 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Smith, who surely regrets getting near Turner on the play with four seconds left, finished with 20 points before fouling out on the play. Kyrie Irving added 19 points and six assists.
The result may have gone in the Cavs favor had Kevin Love played the final 14 minutes. With two minutes left in the third quarter, Love crumpled to the floor after defending a Celtics possession. Love remained on the floor for several minutes before limping back to the locker room with a leg injury. He did not return to the game, but the Cavs power forward is encouraged that the injury won’t force him to miss significant time.
“I don’t know what it will feel like tomorrow, but I’m optimistic that it’s just a thigh bruise, nothing else,” Love said.
Love, who scored 10 points with five rebounds before the injury, added that he hopes to play against the New Orleans Pelicans Saturday night as the Cavs look to avoid a third straight loss. The loss to the Celtics was just the Cavs fourth at home this season (19-4).
Bradley finished with 14 points, while Isaiah Thomas led Boston with 22 points, four rebounds and four assists. Turner totaled 19 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, while former Cavalier Tyler Zeller chipped-in 16 points and four rebounds off the Celtics bench.
The Cavs shot 57 percent in the first quarter and led 32-20 when the period ended. Cleveland led 49-43 at halftime, while the Celtics never led in the game until Bradley sank another three-pointer early in the third quarter to give Boston a 50-49 lead.
“It was the perfect storm, and things just went well for them down the stretch,” Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue said.
POSTED 02/06/2016 04:44
Lake County Sentinel
