NBA

Boston Celtics at Cleveland Cavaliers

· National Basketball Association
16-4, 9-2 Away
Final
111 - 115

18-3, 11-1 Home

Mitchell scores 35, Cavs end Celtics' winning streak with 115-111 win in matchup of East's elite

Spida puts defender in spin cycle for tough Cavs bucket

Mitchell made all six field-goal attempts — including four 3-pointers — in the fourth as the Cavs overcame a 12-point deficit. The All-Star guard scored 30 points in the second half after going just 2 of 8 from the floor in the first.

Darius Garland added 22 points for Cleveland, which got some revenge on Boston after the defending NBA champions handed the Cavs their first loss on Nov. 19 following a 15-0 start.

Jayson Tatum scored 33 points and Payton Pritchard 24 for the Celtics, who led 93-81 in the fourth before Mitchell took over. Kristaps Porzingis added 21 points for Boston.

The Celtics played without two starters: Jaylen Brown (illness) and Derrick White (foot sprain).

Takeaways Celtics: Even short-handed, they pose so many problems with their offensive balance and arsenal of outside shooters.

Cavaliers: Mitchell showed why he's one of the league's best all-around players, shaking off a recent shooting slump (he went 5 of 23 in a loss to Atlanta on Friday) by making every big play down the stretch.

Key moment With Boston trailing 113-110 with 5 seconds left, Pritchard made his first free throw before intentionally missing his second while hoping for a long rebound. However, he got called for stepping into the lane too early, giving the ball back to Cleveland. Mitchell then put it away with two free throws.

Key stat Mitchell came in shooting just 40% (42 of 104) in his last five games.

Up Next Celtics host Miami on Monday to begin a stretch of four home games in six nights, and Cavaliers host Washington on Tuesday.

Regular Season Series

Series tied 1-1

Recent Plays

4th 0.0 End of Game 111 - 115
4th 0.0 End of the 4th Quarter 111 - 115
4th 0.0 Jaden Springer offensive rebound 111 - 115
4th 0.0 Jrue Holiday misses 39-foot three point pullup jump shot 111 - 115
4th 4.1 Donovan Mitchell makes free throw 2 of 2 111 - 115

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nba/500/bos.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originBOS https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nba/500/cle.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originCLE
38-95 FG 39-80
40 Field Goal % 49
17-49 3PT 17-36
35 Three Point % 47
18-19 FT 20-25
95 Free Throw % 80
46 Rebounds 44
10 Offensive Rebounds 6
36 Defensive Rebounds 38
17 Assists 22
11 Steals 5
6 Blocks 7
8 Turnovers 17
3 Team Turnovers 1
11 Total Turnovers 18
0 Technical Fouls 0
0 Total Technical Fouls 0
0 Flagrant Fouls 0
14 Points Conceded Off Turnovers 18
3 Fast Break Points 7
24 Points in Paint 40
19 Fouls 20
14 Largest Lead 11
Cleveland Cavaliers Cleveland Cavaliers Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
James Harden, G Out Feb 4
Evan Mobley, C Out Jan 27
Max Strus, G Out Jan 6
Boston Celtics Boston Celtics Injuries
NAME, POS STATUS DATE
John Tonje, F Out Feb 5
Jayson Tatum, F Out Oct 9

Game Information

Rocket Arena

Location: Cleveland, OH
Attendance: 19,432 · Capacity:

2025-26 Atlantic Standings

TEAM W L PCT GB STRK
New York 33 18 .647 - W8
Boston 33 18 .647 - W4
Philadelphia 29 21 .580 3.5 W5
Toronto 30 22 .577 3.5 L1
Brooklyn 13 36 .265 19 L2

2025-26 Central Standings

TEAM W L PCT GB STRK
Detroit 37 12 .755 - W3
Cleveland 31 21 .596 7.5 W2
Chicago 24 27 .471 14 L2
Milwaukee 20 29 .408 17 W2
Indiana 13 38 .255 25 L2
Full Standings

NBA News

NBA trade deadline: Reactions and grades for every transaction

NBA trade deadline: Reactions and grades for every transaction

Kevin Pelton grades every deal on deadline day, including big moves by the Pacers, Lakers, Wolves and Warriors.

Bulls aim to leave NBA's 'middle' with busy deadline

Bulls aim to leave NBA's 'middle' with busy deadline

After an uncommonly active trade deadline, Bulls VP Arturas Karnisovas said the franchise is "not satisfied" with being mediocre in a shift in tone from previous years.

Trail Blazers' Scoot Henderson to make season debut Friday

Trail Blazers' Scoot Henderson to make season debut Friday

Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson is set to make his season debut Friday after recovering from a torn left hamstring.

NBA buzz: All the moves that did and didn't happen on deadline day

NBA buzz: All the moves that did and didn't happen on deadline day

The 3 p.m. ET trade deadline has come and gone, and Giannis is still in Milwaukee. Catch up on everything that went down.

NBA trade deadline: What's next for Giannis, LeBron? Biggest questions

NBA trade deadline: What's next for Giannis, LeBron? Biggest questions

NBA insiders weigh in on nine pressing questions coming out of the 2026 trade deadline.