The Cleveland Cavaliers (16 - 7) defeated the Boston Celtics (14 - 11) 89 - 77 on Tuesday. The much - improved Celtics gave the Cavaliers all they could handle in the first half, and went into intermission with a 46 - 40 lead. That quickly dissipated in the third quarter however, with Cleveland's turnaround spearheaded by contributions from J.R. Smith and Mo Williams. The Cavs also significantly tightened up their defensive efforts, holding Boston to a mere 31 points over the final two quarters. The Celtics only managed a 32 percent success rate from the field for the game, and shot a mediocre 28 percent from beyond the arc. The visitors were led by 24 points from LeBron James, who also added seven rebounds, three assists, a pair of steals and a block. Kevin Love continued to alternate double - and - single - digit point efforts, amassing 20 points, eight rebounds, five assists, a pair of blocks and a steal. Williams was the only other Cleveland player who managed double - digit scoring, tallying 10 points over a highly efficient 19 minutes from the bench. Timofey Mozgov did come within a point of a double - double, accummulating nine points and 10 rebounds. The Cavaliers improved to 16 - 7 and remain atop the Eastern Conference's Central Division. They head home to face the Thunder in a Thursday night showdown. The Celtics were led by Avery Bradley's 17 points, his 17th consecutive double - digit scoring effort. Jae Crowder (14 points) and Isaiah Thomas (12 points) were the other Boston players with any type of meaningful production, with the latter enduring a particularly difficult 3 - for - 15 shooting night. Boston's starting frontcourt came up particularly short on the night, with Jared Sullinger and Amir Johnson combining for only 10 points and 12 rebounds. The Celtics were also outscored in the paint, 44 - 24. Boston fell to 14 - 11 and remains in second place in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division. They head to Detroit to take on the Pistons on Wednesday.
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