Cavs vs Celtics Game 1 live score updates, highlights: Cleveland opens series in Boston
Welcome to the second round of the NBA playoffs, where the Cavaliers will enter Tuesday night's Game 1 as heavy underdogs against the top-seeded Boston Celtics.
The Celtics were the only team in the NBA to eclipse 60 wins during the regular season, but they'll be without forward Kristaps Porzingis, a 20-point scorer who is dealing with a calf injury and is expected to miss the entire second round.
Donovan Mitchell noted on Sunday that nobody outside of their locker room would be picking the Cavs to win the series — and he's probably right, as the Celtics pose this group's greatest challenge over the last few years. The Cavs, though, are riding high after their Game 7 win over the Magic.
Check back here throughout tonight's game for live score updates, highlights and analysis.
Below is some pregame information.
Donovan Mitchell hasn't spoken to friends Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum in preparation for NBA playoffs series
Donovan Mitchell has long been relatively close with Celtics stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum for a while, but he hasn't spoken with either leading into the series. Once it was clear the Cavs and Celtics could meet in the second round, communication was put on pause.
"We've known each other for a while but, at the end of the day, I haven't talked to him or JT once there was possibility we could play, because at the end of the day it's business," Mitchell said at the team's shootaround at the TD Garden in Boston Tuesday morning.
Cavaliers-Celtics series preview, stats
The Cavs will have their work cut out for them to take down the beasts of the East. Here are three keys to the series for Cleveland.
Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics Game 1, series predictions and betting odds
Beacon Journal writers Ryan Lewis and Nate Ulrich went 7-0 picking games during the Cavs-Magic series. Here, you can find their predictions for both Game 1 against the Celtics and for the second-round series.
For strictly entertainment purposes only, the Cavaliers enter Game 1 as 11.5-point underdogs against the Celtics, according to the MGM Sportsbook. The game has an over/under point total of 208.5 points, a bit higher than any game of the Cavs' first round series.
How can I watch, stream or listen to Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics Game 1?
Tuesday night's Game 1 will be broadcast nationally on TNT. It will be broadcast locally on the radio via WTAM (1100-AM), WMMS (100.7-FM) and WNZN (89.1-FM).
Jarrett Allen injury update — is he playing tonight against the Celtics in Game 1?
Cavs center Jarrett Allen remains questionable for Game 1 heading into Tuesday night's tip-off. He missed the final three games of the series against the Magic with bruised ribs. Allen has repeatedly tried to give it a go, but the Cavs have also needed to balance how effective he can be with the injury considering his raising his arms above his head has been the issue.
Forward Dean Wade has already been ruled out for Game 1. He has yet to appear in the playoffs for the Cavs with a knee injury, but he was on the floor during shootaround in practice.
Donovan Mitchell stats in NBA playoffs vs. the Magic
Donovan Mitchell is coming off a herculean effort, particularly in Games 6 and 7 against the Orlando Magic in which he poured in a combined 89 points.
It was the second-most points in Games 6 and 7 of a playoff series behind only Allen Iverson's 90 in the 2001 Eastern Conference Finals. LeBron James' best in that regard was 81 points in 2018.
Overall for the first-round series, Mitchell averaged 28.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists while shooting 45.9 percent from the floor and 25 percent from 3-point range.
When did the Cavaliers last win an NBA playoffs series without LeBron James?
Before they beat the Magic Sunday in Game 7, the Cavs had not won a playoff series without LeBron James on the roster since 1993. That was Lenny Wilkens' final season as Cavs coach. With Brad Daugherty, Larry Nance Sr. and Mark Price leading the way, the Cavs won their first-round, best-of-five series 3-2 over the Nets before being swept in four games by Michael Jordan and the Bulls in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis1@gannett.com. Follow him on Threads at @ByRyanLewis.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Cavs score, highlights vs Celtics live updates Game 1 NBA playoffs
