ORANI, Bataan— In the second round of the semi-finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Boston Celtics with a dominant 118-94 blowout victory tying the best-of-seven series, 1-1.
In the semi-finals, the Cavaliers quashed the Celtics with a 24 points deficit to clinch their first ever win in the series.
Donovan Mitchell’s outstanding performance secured the victory. This included 29 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds in 39 minutes for the Cavaliers.
Mitchell shot 10 for 19 from the field and basket 4-out-of-6 free throw attempt.
With Evan Mobley on his back, he scored a playoff career-high 21 points. Along those are five assists and 10 rebounds (nine defensive, one offensive).
Moving to the losing side, Jayson Tatum finished with a total of 25 points. This includes six assists and seven rebounds (7 Defensive, 7 Offensive).
Tatum also shot 7 for 17 from the field and 9 of 11 free throw attempts in the game.
In the start of the first quarter the game, Al Horford made a 3-point jump shot from 26 feet out with the aid of Tatum, 9-2. He also made a driving layup assisted by Derrick White, 11-5.
The game changed after Isaac Okoro made a running layup with Evan Mobley’s assist, 7-14. It was followed by Mobley’s 3-point jump shot from 26 feet out backed up by Donovan Mitchell, 28-21. The first quarter ended with 30-24, in favor of Cavaliers.
The Cavaliers took the lead at the end of the second quarter with a commanding score of 30-24.
Mitchell governed the second half, scoring a total of 16 points in the third quarter, finishing with 29 points in total.
The Celtics had a hard time escaping Cavaliers’ dominance. The third quarter ended with Donovan Mitchell’s 3-point jump shot from 28 feet out, 78-90.
The Cavaliers did not let the Celtics score more than a hundred points, 94-118. The series is now tied at 1-1.
The Cleveland Cavaliers will face the Boston Celtics once again in Game 3 on Saturday, May 12, 8:30 AM PHT.