Celtics 'bounce back' with Game 3 road win over Cavaliers - ESPN

CLEVELAND — Jayson Tatum scored 33 points, Jaylen Brown added 28 and the Boston Celtics looked more like themselves after stumbling at home, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 106-93 on Saturday night in Game 3 to take a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The top-seeded Celtics didn't mess around after dropping Game 2 on their home parquet floor by 24.

That lackluster performance — Boston was favored by double digits — was reminiscent of the first round, when the Celtics lost Game 2 against Miami before winning three in a row to eliminate the Heat.

«We just wanted to bounce back,» said Tatum, who added 13 rebounds. «Disappointing loss the other night, coming into a hostile environment on the road. It was a good test for us to see how we respond.»

While the Celtics are just 14-14 at home over the last three postseason, Boston's 17-7 road record over that span is the fifth-best in NBA history.

Tatum scored on a three-point play and the Celtics opened the second half with 14 straight points to take a 23-point lead.

That was way too much for the Cavs, who overcame a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter to stun Boston in March.

Donovan Mitchell scored 33 points for Cleveland, but the All-Star guard aggravated a left knee injury in the fourth quarter and was labored. With Boston up 13 and in control, Mitchell left the court with 1:19 left and walked directly to the locker room.

Cleveland got within nine three times in the fourth but the Celtics, who went just 8 of 35 on 3-pointers in Game 2, got back-to-back 3s from Payton Pritchard and Derrick White to stave off the Cavs' comeback.

Game 4 is Monday night in Cleveland.

Down by 23 and unable to stop Tatum, the Cavs clawed back.

They cut Boston's lead to 15 by the end