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Celtics and Cavs stay perfect in NBA playoffs
AP • April 24th, 2025 3:46 pm
Jaylen Brown has led Boston to victory over Orlando in Jayson Tatum's absence | Photo: AP
Jaylen Brown has registered 36 points and 10 rebounds, Kristaps Porzingis returned to the game after getting a bloody gash to the forehead and finished with 20 points, and Boston beat Orlando 109-100 in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
The Celtics took a 2-0 series lead while playing on Wednesday night without All-Star Jayson Tatum, who has a bone bruise in his right wrist and missed a playoff game for the first time in his career.
Boston led by 15 points in the second half, then held off a late push by the Magic. The Celtics hit 12 three-pointers and went 25 of 33 from the free-throw line. Derrick White and Brown had 17 of Boston's 28 points in the final period and White finished with 17.
Paolo Banchero led Orlando, who host Game 3 on Friday night, with 32 points and nine rebounds.
A bloodied Kristaps Porzingis is all smiles after another Boston win | Photo: AP
Tatum had not missed a playoff game in his eight seasons with the Celtics. He injured his wrist in Game 1 after landing awkwardly following a flagrant foul by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
Tempers flared between Caldwell-Pope and Al Horford in Game 2 when their feet got tangled up and and sent both crashing to the floor during the second quarter.
Then, late in the third, Porzingis went to the locker room with a gash to his forehead but returned in time to shoot a pair of free throws after taking an elbow from Goga Bitadze.
In Cleveland, Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points, including 17 in the fourth quarter, and the Cavaliers held on for a 121-112 victory over Miami to also go up 2-0 in their Eastern Conference first-round series.
The top-seeded Cavs set an NBA playoff record with 11 threes in the second quarter and had 22 for the game. However, Cleveland had to hold off a second-half charge by the Heat.
Tyler Herro scored 33 points for Miami, who host Game 3 on Saturday.
The Cavaliers had a 19-point lead with under three minutes remaining in the third quarter before the Heat made their run to get within 105-103 lead with 3:11 left.
Mitchell, who also had six rebounds and six assists, then scored Cleveland's next eight points, including a pair of three-pointers, during an 8-2 run to give them some breathing room.
Evan Mobley added 20 points and Darius Garland 19 for the Cavs.
