With 29 points from Donovan Mitchell, the Cavaliers defeat the Celtics 118-94 to square the series at one game each.

The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the top-seeded Boston Celtics 118-94 on Thursday night to even their second-round playoff series at one game each. Donovan Mitchell scored 29 points, while Evan Mobley added 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Two nights after falling short by 25, when Mitchell scored 33 points with little assistance, the Cavaliers took the lead in the third quarter and responded with a dominating performance of their own. Mitchell put up 16 points in the third quarter and then made three consecutive in the fourth, including a banked 3-pointer from 28 feet out that made him shrug his shoulders and retreat back into defence.

For Boston, Jayson Tatum scored 25 points, while Jaylen Brown chipped in with 19 more. However, Derrick White, who scored 25 points in the first game to help the Celtics win 120-95, only managed 10 points and missed seven of his eight 3-point attempts.
Games 3 and 4 of the series will be played in Cleveland on Saturday and Monday. Game 5 will be played in Boston on Wednesday.
Cleveland’s Caris LeVert scored 21 points off the bench. He did it halfway through the fourth quarter with a pull-up jumper that gave the Cavaliers a 20-point cushion and sent supporters running for the exits. Many of the remaining people started booing.
After the Celtics missed one more 3-point attempt and were now 8 for 35 overall, LeVert hit a layup and Tatum committed a flagrant foul a minute later. Boston coach Joe Mazzulla rested his bench since the game was decided by 25 points.
J.B. Bickerstaff of Cleveland came next, giving Mitchell, who had played a game-high 37 minutes on Tuesday, some rest. Mitchell was benched during the 10-2 Celtics run that opened the fourth quarter and completely turned the game upside down.
In the third quarter, Mitchell made four of his five 3-point tries, helping Cleveland increase their advantage to 14 points.
Due to a strained calf muscle, Kristaps Porzingis, the centre for the Celtics, missed his third consecutive game. Mobley, who set a career high in points during the playoffs, started at centre in lieu of Jarrett Allen, who has missed five straight games due to injured ribs.
The Cavaliers seemed like they were headed for a second consecutive blowout when Mobley scored 11 points in the opening quarter, as they rapidly went down by nine. However, Cleveland scored 11 points in a row, with 8 coming from LeVert. The Cavs tied the game at halftime after Boston had taken an eight-point lead in the second quarter.
At the half, Tatum had 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists, while Mobley had 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists.

More in Sports: https://buzzing.today/sports/
Photo Credits: https://commons.wikimedia.org/