CLEVELAND — With LeBron James watching from a courtside seat, Jayson Tatum scored 33 points and the Boston Celtics defeated the seriously short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers 109-102 in Game 4 on Monday night. , taking a commanding 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference. Semi-final series.
Jaylen Brown added 27 points for the Celtics, who can beat Cleveland with a win in Game 5 on Wednesday night in Boston.
Game 6, if necessary, would return to Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland on Friday.
The Cavs were on the verge of elimination as Donovan Mitchell (calf) and Jarrett Allen (ribs) were out with injuries, leaving two top players in street clothes sitting on the bench.
This was nothing new for a Cleveland team that has been plagued by injuries all season, but it's a big ask for the Cavs to try to survive without All-Star guards Mitchell and Allen, who have carried the offensive duties throughout the postseason. was. Their signature rebounder.
The top-seeded Celtics, who had a tendency to relax at the wrong times, didn't show much mercy to the Cavs.
Tatum had his second straight strong performance, adding 11 rebounds and five assists. Jrue Holiday scored 16 points for Boston.
Darius Garland scored 30 points and Evan Mobley and Caris LeVert each scored 19 points for the Cavs, who stayed even with the Celtics and entered the fourth with just a 10-point lead.
Boston took a 15-point lead on Brown's jumper, but Cleveland countered with a 10-2 run on 3-pointers from Garland and Dean Wade.
The Cavs were still within 102-97 when Brown sank a 3-pointer with 1:08 left, but Boston shut them out at the free-throw line.
James, who played 11 seasons in Cleveland over two stints, is returning to his old home arena — a visit that's sure to increase speculation about where he'll play next. The NBA's career leading scorer can opt out of his contract with the Los Angeles Lakers this summer, but James said he hasn't made a firm decision yet.
The 39-year-old was sitting across from Boston's bench between his wife, Savannah, and his agent, Rich Paul. When James appeared on the scoreboard during a first-quarter timeout, he received a thunderous ovation from the Cleveland crowd.
Despite dealing with a left knee injury for months, Mitchell averaged 29.6 points in the first 10 playoff games and scored 50 points in Game 6, a first-round loss to the Orlando Magic. did.
He injured his left calf in Cleveland's Game 3 loss on Saturday and was added to the injury report as questionable on Sunday. Mitchell received round-the-clock treatment, but there wasn't enough time to heal. He is considered day-to-day, according to coach JB Bickerstaff.
Allen has missed seven consecutive games due to the soreness he suffered in the center field in the opening game.
Holiday scored seven straight points for the Celtics, who led by 13 points in the second quarter and looked poised to run away from the Cavs.
But when Max Strus, who had struggled with his outside shot throughout the playoffs, hit back-to-back 3-pointers to spark a 13-3 run that brought the Cavs within 62-57 at halftime, Cleveland roared back.
Boston center Kristaps Porzingis missed his fifth consecutive game, but the Celtics were encouraged that he was able to do his job on the court.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.