After their last pair of uneven performances at home in the playoffs, continuing a trend that’s carried over the past few postseasons, Boston put together an exemplary defensive performance in Game 3 to take back control of this series.
While Donovan Mitchell had another sensational game, going for 33 points and hitting seven 3-pointers, the rest of the Cavaliers combined to score 60 points and went 5-for-24 from 3-point range. Remove Evan Mobley’s 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting from the equation, and the numbers get even bleaker: 43 points on 33% shooting.
There’s a lot of focus on Boston’s league-leading offense and the amount of 3-pointers the Celtics shoot, but at their best they also have a suffocating defense, with few weaknesses — especially in their starting lineup — that can wear down its opponent. In the two games in this series Boston has won, that’s been the formula: Let Mitchell get what he wants, and limit the rest of his teammates.
Although the Celtics won Game 3, there was one concerning trend — if not for this series, but as the playoffs continue: Horford looked tired.
It’s hard to blame him. Horford, three weeks shy of his 38th birthday and in his 17th NBA season, played 40 minutes in Game 3. He finished 1-for-7 from the field — including 0-for-6 from 3-point range — and struggled to defend drives. That was especially noticeable when getting switched onto Mitchell; the Cavaliers are averaging 1.64 points per direct pick on 30 on-ball screens when Mitchell is the ball handler and Horford is the screener defender, per ESPN’s Stats & Information.
This is where the loss of Kristaps Porzingis could have an effect on Boston as the playoffs progress. At this stage of his career, Horford should be much closer to the minutes total he averaged during the regular season — 26.8 per game — than playing close to 40.
Game 3 was the first competitive matchup the Celtics have played since Porzingis was injured. This is something to monitor going forward, as even when Porzingis comes back, there are going to be some limitations on his availability as he recovers from a calf strain.
