Celtics 'figure' a way out against depleted Cavs

The Boston Celtics were not "perfect" but they still fought off the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers to take a stranglehold in their National Basketball Association (NBA) semi-final play-offs on May 13, as the Oklahoma City Thunder levelled their series with the Dallas Mavericks.

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Jayson Tatum scored 33 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Jaylen Brown added 27 points for the Celtics, who beat the Cavaliers 109-102 for a 3-1 lead in their bestof-seven clash in the Eastern Conference.

Boston will try to finish off the series at home on May 15. The Cavaliers were dealt a blow when Donovan Mitchell, who had averaged more than 35 points over the six earlier games, was ruled out with a calf injury, joining starting centre Jarrett Allen on the sidelines.

With Mitchell absent, Cleveland ultimately did not have enough firepower at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

The Celtics led by 10 going into the final period and the Cavaliers, on the back of 30 points from Darius Garland, pulled within five points three times in the final four minutes. However, Brown, fed by Tatum, connected on a threepointer with Imin 9sec left that effectively sealed it.