Boston looked every bit like the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference in Tuesday night’s Game 1 versus the Cleveland Cavaliers. In an eventual 120-95 win, Boston’s largest deficit of the night was just two points.
While Jayson Tatum didn’t have a great night — 18 points (7-of-19), 11 rebounds and five assists — both Jaylen Brown and Derrick White were fantastic. Brown scored 32 points while shooting an excellent clip from the field. The star guard finished the night with four threes and made 12-of-18 shots overall. White continued his strong start to the postseason by drilling 7-of-12 three-point attempts en route to a 25-point night.
“It feels good. I think the most important thing is to win,” White said. “I’ve said before, it doesn’t matter if I score zero or score however many I scored today. When we win, I’m doing enough.”
“I had it rolling tonight,” Brown said. “You just want to come out and make the right plays, make the right reads. That’s all it is. Playing through your teammates and playing with confidence.”
While Brown and White carried Boston with hot shooting, the Cavaliers struggled mightily over the final three quarters. Cleveland opened the game with 34 points in the first quarter — Boston scored 40 — but was held to 15 points in the second quarter and 18 points in the fourth.
Overall, the Cavs shot 41.1-percent from the field and knocked down just 11-of-42 from beyond the arc. Cleveland will look to even the series Thursday night in Boston.
