The Cleveland Cavaliers will be looking to extend their eight-game winning streak Friday night when they visit the Boston Celtics in a matchup between the top two teams in the Eastern Conference standings.
Cleveland leads Boston by 6.5 games, but has lost two of the three meetings against the Celtics this season. Boston prevailed at home 120-117 on Nov. 19, and at Cleveland 112-105 on Feb. 4. Cleveland, which has the best record in the NBA, earned a 115-111 home win against the Celtics on Dec. 1.
“We’re playing well,” Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said. “Now the real test is Boston. We’ll see if we can keep our standards high, go in there and get a win.”
Atkinson said he doesn’t plan to use a vanilla game plan in an attempt to keep things hidden in the event the Celtics and Cavaliers meet in the playoffs.
“We still have to prove we can beat them — beat them at their place,” he said. “I think we go in there kind of guns a blazing. We gotta go for the win, whatever it takes. Throw everything out there and then after that game we’ll kind of surmise what we can do in the playoffs, but we’re not going to hold anything back.”
Boston’s six-game winning streak came to an end with Wednesday’s 117-97 road loss to the Detroit Pistons. It was the fifth time the Celtics failed to score at least 100 points this season. The Celtics made 12 2-point field goals in the loss, which is the fewest 2-point field goals the team has made in a game during the franchise’s history.
Boston was without Jaylen Brown (left thigh contusion) and Luke Kornet (personal reasons) against the Pistons. Brown is the team’s No. 2 scorer (22.9 points per game) and Kornet is averaging 5.2 points and 17.2 minutes per contest.
Jayson Tatum said because the Celtics last season’s NBA championship, they have to be at their best — or close to it — every game if they expect to win.
“In recent years we’ve gotten everybody’s really good shot,” he said. “Now, on a nightly basis, we get everybody’s best shot. We’re like the standard … and that’s with any NBA champion the next year. They are the standard and guys are trying to get what they have.
“We do a really good job of responding, and I have no doubt we will do that Friday night.”
De’Andre Hunter is shooting 50 percent from the field and averaging 14 points per game in six games since the Cavaliers acquired him from the Hawks.
“He’s not just trying to fit in,” Atkinson said. “He’s really come into our team with force and kind of imposed his will at both ends. Sometimes after a trade, like I said, guys just want to fit in. They don’t want to step on anybody’s toes. He’s just struck the right balance at both ends.”
Darius Garland has missed Cleveland’s past two games with a left hip contusion.
Garland is averaging 21.3 points and 6.7 assists in 30.1 minutes per game.
The Friday game will kick off a seven-game homestand for Boston. The Celtics have an 18-10 record at home this season but are 24-7 on the road.
“We’re going to be home for a while,” Tatum said. “Get back to defending our home court, get some wins and just play well in front of our home crowd. That’s what I’m looking forward to.”
–Field Level Media
