Collin Sexton Leads Cleveland Past Boston as Boston falls to .500 on the season. The Cavaliers were losers of 4 straight games entering tonight and this was a game Boston needed to win. From the get go though, Cleveland just out-hustled and out-played Boston for the full 48 minutes. The Celtics would make a run here and there, but the closest they got to was a 5 point deficit. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown each played great for the second consecutive game, combining for 57 points for the 2nd straight game as well. Marcus Smart had a bounce back game for Boston after struggling last game. Robert Williams continued his emergence with another great performance tonight as well. Cleveland’s young backcourt was great tonight. Collin Sexton and Darius Garland combined for 54 points and 12 assists. Larry Nance Jr and the rookie Isaac Okoro played extremely well. These are the games the Celtics need to win and tonight they did not.
STAR OF THE GAME
Collin Sexton is one of the most underrated players in this league. If his team had a better record, he would undoubtedly be an All-Star. This season he is averaging 23.6 PPG on 47% from the field to go along with 4.2 APG. All 3 of those stats listed are his career highs. Tonight, he had 29 points on 10-20 shooting as well as 7 rebounds and 6 assists. He seemed to get to his spot all night long and the Celtics never really had an answer for him. Eventually, Collin will get the respect he deserves once the Cavs become a playoff team. Sexton is one of the best young guards in this league and tonight he proved just that.
BIGGEST CONCERN
The Celtics were winners of 4 straight games entering the All-Star break and it seemed like they had everything figured out. Since the All-Star break, Boston has lost 3 of their 4 games and are now 20-20 on the season and are currently the 7th seed in the East. If someone told you the Boston Celtics would have 2 All-Stars and they were .500 40 games into the season, you would not have believed him. That is the reality of this team though. Yes, Boston was without Kemba Walker tonight and that matters. At the same time, this Cavs team had lost 4 straight games entering tonight and Boston had no excused not to win. A trade is necessary for this team. A blockbuster seems extremely unlikely, but something needs to happen. When you have two All-Stars on your team entering their prime, there is no reason you should be at the bottom of the East.
SURPRISE CONTRIBUTION
Larry Nance Jr is probably a name you will hear a lot in trade rumors. The odds of a trade truly happening are quite slim though. This season, he is averaging the lowest PPG, FG%, RPG, and FT% since he joined the Cavaliers back in 2018. However, he is still a pretty good player. Tonight he had 18 points on 7-8 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. Nance loves playing for Cleveland and Cleveland loves having him on the team. His ability to have this type of production on any given night is why the Cavs asking price is so high and rightfully so.
Next Game
Vs Sacramento Kings, Friday, March 19th at 4:30 PM
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