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RECAP: Cleveland Cavaliers earn 116-86 win over Boston Celtics in Game 3 of East Finals

The Cleveland Cavaliers earned a 116-86 win over the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of the 2018 NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Quicken Loans Arena Saturday night.
Credit: Gregory Shamus
Cleveland Cavaliers small forward LeBron James drives to the hoop during the first half of Game 3 of the 2018 NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.

10:58 p.m.-CAVALIERS CRUISE TO WIN OVER BOSTON CELTICS IN GAME 3 OF EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

CLEVELAND -- “There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home.”

Not only do those words apply to “The Wizard of Oz,” they also describe the way the Cleveland Cavaliers played against the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of the 2018 NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Quicken Loans Arena Saturday night.

After losing the first two games in Boston by an average of 19 points, the Cavaliers fought their way to a 116-86 victory over the Celtics, and now, have a chance to even up the best-of-seven series at 2-2 on Monday night in Cleveland.

Led by 27 points and 12 assists from small forward LeBron James, the Cavaliers had six players reach double-figure point totals, including all five of their starters.

Shooting guard Kyle Korver came off the bench to known down all five of his shots, four of which were from three-point range, on the way to 14 points in just 20 minutes of action.

Cavaliers power forward Kevin Love and point guard George Hill added 13 points each, and Love finished off a double-double with 14 rebounds to go along with four assists. Center Tristan Thompson scored 10 points and corralled seven rebounds, while shooting guard JR Smith tallied 11 points, including a three-for-four showing from three-point range.

Rookie forward Jayson Tatum led all Celtics with 18 points.

10:27 p.m.-CAVALIERS LEAD CELTICS, 87-63, AFTER THIRD QUARTER

CLEVELAND -- Third-quarter lulls have plagued the Cleveland Cavaliers all throughout the 2017-2018 season, but they hustled, scrambled and fought their way to a four-point edge over the Boston Celtics out of halftime and held an 87-63 lead after 36 minutes of play in Game 3 of the 2018 NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Quicken Loans Arena Saturday night.

Although the Cavaliers cooled off considerable following a hot-shooting first half of play, they found the bottom of the net with seven of their 17 attempts (41.2 percent), and despite making only two three-pointers as opposed to four from the Celtics, they held a 26-22 edge in third-quarter scoring.

Power forward Kevin Love led the way with nine points, while small forward LeBron James, shooting guard JR Smith and center Tristan Thompson added eight, five and four markers, respectively.

By the middle of the third quarter, all five of the Cavaliers’ starters reached double figures in scoring.

10:23 p.m.-DANIEL “BOOBY” GIBSON IN THE HOUSE AT THE Q

CLEVELAND -- Former Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Daniel “Booby” Gibson was in the house at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland to watch his former teammate, small forward LeBron James, lead this year’s squad against the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of the 2018 NBA Eastern Conference Finals Saturday night.

During his seven-year career with the Cavaliers, Gibson made the fourth-most three-pointers in team history, 587, but in the minds of Cleveland fans, he is perhaps known best for his Game 6 performance against the Detroit Pistons in the 2007 NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Quicken Loans Arena.

On a night when the Cavaliers clinched their first-ever trip to the NBA Finals by getting their first-ever win in the month of June, Gibson famously knocked down all five of his three-point shots on the way to a team-best 31-point effort in the Cavaliers’ 98-82 series-clinching victory over the Pistons.

Gibson played in a reserve role in Game 6, but over 29 minutes, he knocked down seven of his nine looks from the field, and was perfect from beyond the arc.

Additionally, Gibson made 12 of his 15 attempts from the free-throw line, pulled down six rebounds, including two on the offensive end of the floor, assisted on two other baskets and finished plus-19 for the game.

10:19 p.m.-CAVALIERS LEAD CELTICS, 81-55, LATE IN THIRD QUARTER

CLEVELAND -- With a diversified scoring approach after halftime, the Cleveland Cavaliers staked themselves out to an 81-55 lead over the Boston Celtics with 2:52 to play in the third quarter of Game 3 of the 2018 NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Quicken Loans Arena Saturday night.

With only two of their five starters in double figures after the first half, the Cavaliers had their other three starters reach the 10-point plateau and beyond during the third quarter.

As a team, the Cavaliers sunk six of their first 13 looks at the hoop and two of their four three-pointers over the first nine-plus minutes of the third quarter.

9:42 p.m.-CAVALIERS LEAD CELTICS, 61-41, AT HALFTIME OF GAME 3

CLEVELAND -- By shooting above 50 percent from the field and three-point range, the Cleveland Cavaliers built a 61-41 lead over the Boston Celtics at halftime of Game 3 of the 2018 NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Quicken Loans Arena Saturday night.

Over the first 24 minutes of action, the Cavaliers converted 21 of their 41 attempts from the field (51.2 percent) and nine of their 17 looks from three-point range (52.9 percent), as opposed to a 14-of-35 showing from the Celtics.

Boston knocked down just two of its nine attempts from three-point range in the first half.

Small forward LeBron James led the way for the Cavaliers with 19 points on six-of-eight shooting, including a perfect three-for-three mark from three-point range. Additionally, James corralled two defensive rebounds, assisted on six Cavaliers baskets, stole two passes and blocked two shots in the first half.

Cavaliers point guard George Hill scored 13 points, handed out two assists, grabbed three defensive rebounds and stole one pass in the first half.

Forward Jayson Tatum (13 points) was the only Celtics player to score in double figures in the first half.

9:31 p.m.-RYAN SHAZIER LEADS O-H-I-O CHANT DURING BREAK IN GAME 3

CLEVELAND -- Former Ohio State Buckeyes and current Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier helped lead the crowd at Quicken Loans Arena in the O-H-I-O chant while “Hang On Sloopy” played during a break in the action of Game 3 of the 2018 NBA Eastern Conference Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics Saturday night.

The Quicken Loans Arena crowd gave Shazier a rousing ovation when he was shown on Humongotron.

A first-round pick of the Steelers in the 2014 NFL Draft, Shazier suffered a serious back injury during a Monday Night Football game at the Cincinnati Bengals on December 4 while trying to make a tackle in a game that was full of injuries and personal fouls between the AFC North Division rivals.

Shazier was injured when his head hit the right shoulder pad of a Bengals receiver and had to be carted off the field and taken to a Cincinnati hospital. As a result of the hit, Shazier had to undergo spinal stabilization surgery before being able to return to Pittsburgh to start the rehabilitation process.

On February 1, Shazier was discharged from the rehabilitation facility at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and to commemorate the occasion, he took a picture standing side by side with Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and shared it with the world through social media.

A three-year starter for the Buckeyes, Shazier registered 210 solo tackles, assisted on 107 others and made 317 total stops, 45.5 of which went for lost yardage during his career at Ohio State. Additionally, Shazier collected 15 sacks and returned his only career interception 17 yards for a Buckeyes touchdown.

Since joining the Steelers, Shazier has twice been selected to the Pro Bowl.

In addition to appearing at Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals in Cleveland, Shazier announced the Steelers’ first-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, last month.

Earlier this season, Shazier took in a game between the Cavaliers and San Antonio Spurs at Quicken Loans Arena.

9:28 p.m.-CAVALIERS PUSH LEAD OVER CELTICS OUT TO 20 POINTS

CLEVELAND -- A 7-4 scoring run in a 92-second span gave the Cleveland Cavaliers a 20-point lead over the Boston Celtics, 52-32, with 4:17 to play in the first half of Game 3 of the 2018 NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Quicken Loans Arena.

Small forward LeBron James capped off the run and forced the Celtics into a timeout when he buried a pull-up three-pointer from the left wing.

Earlier in the run, the Cavaliers got a hook shot from center Kevin Love and a fall-away 15-foot jumper from power forward Jeff Green.

9:20 p.m.-CAVALIERS LEAD CELTICS, 45-28, MIDWAY THROUGH SECOND QUARTER

CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Cavaliers knocked down five of their first seven looks from the field and extended their lead over the Boston Celtics to 17 points, 45-28, with 6:32 to play in the second quarter of Game 3 of the 2018 NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Quicken Loans Arena.

The Cavaliers got a three-pointer and five points total from shooting guard Kyle Korver, as well as four markers from reserve center Larry Nance Jr. early in the second quarter.

Nance added two rebounds and one assist, while small forward LeBron James had two helpers and a pair of free throws.

9:08 p.m.-CAVALIERS LEAD CELTICS, 32-17, AFTER FIRST QUARTER

CLEVELAND -- Thanks to solid productivity from three-point range and double-digit scoring efforts from small forward LeBron James and point guard George Hill, the Cleveland Cavaliers held a 32-17 lead over the Boston Celtics after the first quarter of Game 3 of the 2018 NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.

The Cavaliers knocked down 11 of their 23 attempts from the field (47.8 percent), and were even better from three-point range, as they connected on six of their 11 tries from beyond the arc (54.5 percent) over the first 12 minutes of play.

James led the way with 12 points on four-of-six shooting, including a two-for-two showing from three-point range, and assisted on two other baskets.

Hill had 11 points on four-of-seven shooting, including a three-for-six effort from three-point land. Like James, Hill assisted on two other hoops during the first quarter.

9:00 p.m.-CAVALIERS LEAD CELTICS, 27-11, LATE IN FIRST QUARTER

CLEVELAND -- Aided heavily by three-point shooting, the Cleveland Cavaliers went on a dominant scoring run out of a timeout and built a 27-11 lead over the Boston Celtics with 2:16 to play in the first quarter of Game 3 of the 2018 NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Quicken Loans Arena.

Already up by a 9-4 count, the Cavaliers scored the next 11 points and stretched their scoring run to 18-7 on the way to building the 16-point advantage over the Celtics.

Shooting guard JR Smith got the run going with a three-pointer from the right wing, and on the next trip down the floor, small forward LeBron James kept the spurt rolling when he sunk a pull-up three-pointer over a Celtics defender.

Less than one minute later, James hit a second three-pointer, but the barrage was not over, as after a layup from James and two free throws from center Tristan Thompson, point guard George Hill pulled up from the top of the key and buried his second triple of the game.

8:48 p.m.-CAVALIERS LEAD CELTICS, 9-4, MIDWAY THROUGH FIRST QUARTER

CLEVELAND -- Despite small forward LeBron James scoring only two points early in Game 3 of the 2018 NBA Eastern Conference Finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers came out firing and built a 9-4 lead over the Boston Celtics with 6:48 to play in the first quarter at Quicken Loans Arena.

After scoring just three points in a Game 2 loss in Boston, point guard George Hill scored five of the Cavaliers’ first nine points, making a floater in the lane, and then, following up with a three-pointer from the right corner of the floor.

Additionally, Hill assisted on one of the Cavaliers’ other two baskets, as he fed a pass to center Tristan Thompson, who followed a cut to the hoop with a two-handed slam dunk that brought the crowd to its feet in jubilant celebration.

7:30 p.m.-TYRONN LUE: CLEVELAND CAVALIERS ‘GOT TO COME OUT SWINGING’ IN GAME 3 AGAINST BOSTON CELTICS

CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Cavaliers had a strong start to Game 2 of the 2018 NBA Eastern Conference Finals, but were unable to hold off the Boston Celtics in the second half and suffered a 107-94 loss at TD Garden in Boston Tuesday night.

The Cavaliers returned to Cleveland in an 0-2 hole in the best-of-seven series, and yet, no one in the locker room has admittedly hit the panic button, especially not with the Eastern Conference Finals shifting to Cleveland and Quicken Loans Arena Saturday and Monday nights.

“The reality is, they did what they were supposed to do,” Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue said after the Game 2 loss. “They took care of home court. We have to win one game here. That’s our mindset, but going back home, we know we’ll play better.

“They’ve shown they haven’t played that well on the road in the playoffs. They play great at home, so we’ve got to come out swinging. We’ve got to be aggressive. I think we’ve got to be physical, and we’ve got to have a physical mindset that they’re coming in playing tough. They’re aggressive, and we’ve got to match that.”

Led by a 25-point effort from small forward LeBron James, the Cavaliers built a 55-48 lead over the Celtics at halftime of Game 2.

However, Boston outscored the Cavaliers, 36-22, in the third quarter, thanks in large part to its 56 percent shooting from the field. Out of the halftime break, the Celtics converted 14 of their 25 looks at the hoop, including a five-for-10 showing from three-point range.

After a strong shooting performance in the first half, the Cavaliers made only nine of their 22 attempts from the field in the third quarter.

The Celtics outrebounded the Cavaliers, 13-10, and converted two Cleveland turnovers into points in the third quarter.

“We need more energy,” shooting guard Kyle Korver said. “I thought it was on both sides of the ball at the start of the third quarter. The first half, I thought we played pretty well. The ending, we didn’t finish off the half like we wanted to, but our energy wasn’t there in the second half. That affects how you shoot the ball. That affects the shots you get. That affects everything, and we just didn’t have good energy.

Following their lopsided Game 1 loss to the Celtics, James had “zero concern” about the Cavaliers in the series, and embraced a similar mindset after Game 2.

“I’m not going to lose sleep over it,” James said. “You go out and you lay everything out on the line. At the end of the day, you can live with that. I’ll recalibrate as far as how I can help this team continue to be successful, how I can do some things to make us be even more complete.

“We have an opportunity to go back home and protect home court. We’re going to use these days to really dive into what needs to be done to help our ball club be successful. They did what they had to do, and that was protect home. Now, it’s our time to try to do that as well. We have a few days, and we’re going to see what we’re made of on Saturday.”

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