Cavs needed answers against Celtics and found few

CLEVELAND — Some games are complicated. This one was not.

The Cavaliers simply could not make a shot when it mattered most, and the Boston Celtics happily took advantage in a 109-98 road win Sunday.

The story started early.

The Cavs opened the afternoon firing from deep and kept firing. The problem was that almost none of them went in. By halftime, the Cavs had gone a brutal 2-for-22 from three-point range.

Some of the looks were open. Others felt rushed. And as the misses piled up, the offense started to drift.

Instead of attacking the basket and forcing Boston to adjust, the Cavs settled. A lot. That is rarely a winning formula against a team like the Celtics.

There was one clear bright spot.

Evan Mobley looked comfortable most of the afternoon, finishing with 24 points and three blocks while finding success both at the rim and from the perimeter. Boston did not appear to have a clean answer for him inside, which remains one of the Cavs’ few matchup advantages in this rivalry.

But they needed more.

Donovan Mitchell finished with 30 points, though even he had a few possessions he likely wants back. Beyond that, the supporting cast struggled to generate much momentum.

Sam Merrill found little space against Boston’s switch-heavy defense. Jaylon Tyson missed a few clean looks. Nobody in reserve vould get much going, either. Certainly, the backcourt bench provided almost no scoring punch.

Against the Celtics, it’s often the little things that make the difference. On this day, it was mostly one big thing, and that was the Cavs’ inability to put the ball in the basket.