In an offensive battle from start to finish, the Cleveland Cavaliers ended up topping the Boston Celtics 109-99 in Friday nights’ Game 6.
The entire world expected LeBron James to put on an impressive performance with his back against the wall, and James delivered by leading both teams in points with 46, rebounds with 11, and assists with nine.
The Celtics finally had a good opening quarter of action on the road—they led the Cavaliers 25-20 headed to the second quarter. Jaylen Brown scored 15 of those points, but his hot start cooled off and he finished with 27.
Kevin Love’s absence certainly contributed to the slow start for the Cavaliers. He exited the game after colliding heads with Jayson Tatum.
Cleveland’s weak start was short-lived and they rode an 11 point lead into the break. The Cavaliers held onto that lead for the entire second half, even with Boston cutting it to seven with under four minutes to play in the game. Their attempt at a comeback ultimately fell short, in thanks to back-to-back dagger threes from James.
Despite being one of the best free throw shooting teams in the NBA, Boston had a rare poor performance from the free throw line. The Celtics went only 11-for-20, compared to Cleveland going 18-for-22.
One positive for the Celtics was Terry Rozier, who had been quiet in his past couple outings. Rozier led his team with 28 points, including making six out of 10 shots from downtown.
Al Horford was strangely quiet compared to his usual self, finishing with only six points. He was held scoreless for the entire first half and shot only 2-of-8 from the field.
Even with the masterful night by James, the other players on his team stepped it up which gave the Cavaliers enough firepower to even the series at three games apiece.
George Hill had the highest scoring output of his postseason career, with 20. Jeff Green and Larry Nance Jr. also finished in double-figures, with Nance nearing a double-double at 10 points and 7 boards.
An ultimate winner will finally be crowned in Game 7, slated for Sunday, May 27 at 8:30 p.m.
