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Boston Celtics (42-21) at Cleveland Cavaliers (39-24)
Sunday, March 8, 2026
1:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #64 Road Game #33
TV: ABC
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, WFAM/WMMS
Rocket Arena
Probable Celtics Starters 
PG: Derrick White...................................... SG: Jaylen Brown
C: Neemias Queta
SF: Sam Hauser ............................................ PF: Jayson Tatum
Celtics ReservesPayton Pritchard
Hugo Gonzalez
Luka Garza
Amare Williams
Jordan Walsh
2-Way PlayersRon Harper, Jr
Max Shulga
John Tonje
Injuries/OutNikola Vucevic (finger) out
Head CoachJoe Mazzulla
Probable Cavaliers Starters 
PG: James Harden ................ SG: Donovan Mitchell
C: Thomas Bryant
SF: Jaylon Tyson ................ PF: Evan Mobley
Cavaliers Reserves Keon Ellis
Larry Nance, Jr
Craig Porter Jr
Dennis Schroder
Nae'Qwan Tomlin
Dean Wade
Sam Merrill
2-Way Players Tristan Enaruna
Riley Minix
Olivier Sarr
Injuries/Out Donovan Mitchell (groin) probable
Dean Wade (ankle) probable
Jaylon Tyson (neck) questionable
Max Strus (foot) out
Tyrese Poctor (quad) out
Jarrett Allen (knee) out
Head Coach Kenny Atkinson
Game Notes The Celtics visit the Cleveland Cavaliers for the 3rd, and final, meeting between these two teams. The Celtics won the first game 125-105 at Boston on October 29. The Celtics also won the second meeting 117-115 in Cleveland on November 30. These 2 teams split the series 2-2 last season with each team winning one at home and one on the road. The Celtics are 143-89 overall, all time against the Cavaliers and they are 56-61 in games played in Cleveland.
The Cavaliers are quite different from the team the Celtics faced in November. At the trade deadline, they traded De'Andre Hunter to the Kings for Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroder. They also sent Lonzo Ball to to the Utah Jazz, along with 2 second round picks for them to take on his contract. Their big trade, though, was to trade Darius Garland to the Clippers for James Harden.
The Celtics are 2nd in the East, 3.5 games behind 1st place Detroit. They are 1.5 games ahead of 3rd place New York , 3 games ahead of 4th place Cleveland, 6.5 games ahead of 5th place Toronto, 7.5 games ahead of 6th place Orlando and 7th place Miami and 8 games ahead of 8th place Philadelphia. The Celtics are 27-14 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 21-11 on the road and 8-2 in their last 10 games. They are coming off a win in their last game.
The Cavaliers are 4th in the East, 6.5 games behind 1st place Detroit, 3 games behind 2nd place Boston, 1.5 games behind 3rd place New York. They are 3.5 games ahead of 5th place Toronto, and 4.5 games ahead of 6th place Orlando and 7th place Miami and 5 games ahead of 8th place Philadelphia. They are 25-15 against Eastern Conference teams and 21-11 at home. They are 7-3 in their last 10 games and have won their last 2 games.
After this game at Cleveland, the Celtics continue on a tough 3 game road trip through San Antonio, and Oklahoma City. Then they host Washington, Phoenix and Golden State. Next, it is one game at Memphis before a 3 game home stand against Minnesota, Oklahoma City and Atlanta. Then it's back on the road for a 4 game trip through Charlotte, Atlanta, Miami and Milwaukee.
The Cavaliers are playing in the 2nd game of a 3 game home stand. They beat the 1st place Pistons in the first game on Tuesday. They will host Philadelphia in the 3rd game of the home stand. They will then play Orlando and Dallas on the road before returning home to play Dallas once again. Then they will play Milwaukee, Chicago and New Orleans on the road.
For the Celtics, after 298 days, Jayson Tatum was available to play against Dallas on Friday. He is expected to play in this game also. Jordan Walsh missed Friday's game due to an illness but is not on the injury list at this time. Nikola Vucevic fractured his finger in Friday's game and had successful surgery to repair it. He is expected to miss approximately a month.
For the Cavaliers, Jarrett Allen injured his right knee during the Cavaliers' win over the Pistons on Tuesday and has been ruled out for this game. Tyrese Proctor is out due to a right quadriceps strain.
Max Strus has been cleared for on-court workouts after off season foot surgery but has been ruled out for this game. Jaylon Tyson is questionable due to a neck strain. After missing the past four games with a groin injury, Donovan Mitchell is probable for this game. Dean Wade is also probable with an ankle injury.
Key Matchups vs
Jaylen Brown vs Donovan Mitchell
Mitchell is averaging 28.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 1.6 assists per game. He is shooting 48.3% from the field and 36.9% from beyond the arc. In the first two games against the Celtics, he averaged 16.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 7 assists and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 42.9% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to stay with him both in the paint and on the perimeter because he is a threat to score from everywhere.
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Derrick White vs James Harden
This is the first time the Celtics are facing the Cavs since they acquired Harden. He is averaging 24.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 8.1 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. He is shooting 42.5% from the field and 36.1% from beyond the arc. In 2 games with the Clippers against the Celtics, Harden averaged 27.5 points, 5 rebounds, 10 assists, and 1 steal per game while shooting 43.2% from the field and 35.3% from beyond the arc.
Honorable MentionJayson Tatum vs Evan Mobley
Mobley is averaging 17.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.8 blocks per game. He is shooting 51.7% from the field and 31.5% from beyond the arc. In the 2 games against the Celtics this season, he averaged 23 points, 12.5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 block per game while shooting 50% from the field and 35.7% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to keep him out of the paint as he is a very good rebounder and also a rim protector.
Keys to the Game Defense - As always, defense is a key to winning this, and every, game. The Celtics are 6th with a defensive rating of 111.7. The Cavaliers are 13th with a defensive rating of 113.1. The Celtics must make defense a priority and play tough lock down team defense for all 48 minutes. They can't play tough defense for just 2 or 3 quarters and expect the other team to give up. The Celtics need to especially defend the perimeter as the Cavs shoot 40.3 threes per game and make 14.5 of them. They also average 51.0 points in the paint per game so the Celtics also must defend the paint.
Rebound - The Celtics are averaging 46.4 rebounds per game (4th) to 44.4 rebounds per game for the Cavaliers (12th). The Celtics will need to crash the boards to keep the Cavs from getting extra possessions and second chance points. Much of rebounding is effort and the Celtics have got to work harder on the boards than the Cavs. But they also have to give a consistent effort on the boards for the whole game.
3 Point Shots - When the Celtics make their 3's they are tough to beat but when the 3's aren't falling, the game gets really ugly. The Celtics are 2nd in the league, taking 42.5 threes per game. The Cavs are 6th with 40.3 threes a game. Although the Celtics are 3rd in 3 pointers attempted, they are 9th, shooting 36.3% from beyond the arc. The Cavs are 14th, shooting 36.0% from beyond the arc. The key is simple. The Celtics must make their threes and they have to defend the perimeter well to keep the Cavs from making theirs.
Move the Ball Carefully - The Celtics need to move the ball and find the open man. They play their best when they share the ball. They are 27-2 when they have more than 25 assists in a game and they are 14-0 when they have 29 or more assists. However, the Celtics need to take care of the basketball and limit turnovers. They have to make careful passes and also be aware while dribbling and not drive into a crowd or allow a defender to steal the ball since the Cavs average 19.6 points off turnovers per game.
X-Factors Matinee Game On the Road - The Celtics are playing on the road and will need to stay focused in spite of the distractions of travel and playing in front of a hostile crowd. Cavs fans really do not like the Celtics and will likely be loud and antagonistic. They need to come into this game focused and ready to play harder than the Cavs. They are also playing in an early afternoon game and sometimes players struggle in the early games, especially after travel.
Officiating - The officiating is always an x-factor. Sometimes a crew will call the game tight and blow a whistle on every play. Other times they will let them play and let the game get physical. The Celtics need to adjust to the way the game is called and not let missed calls or bad calls affect their focus. If the calls are bad, they just need to play harder to make up for them and not lose focus on playing the game.
Topic: Celtics (42-21) at Cavaliers (39-24) Game #64 3/8/26 (Read 140 times)