Three big numbers from Celtics’ win over Cavs originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The biggest number from the Boston Celtics’ record victory over the previously undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night is, quite obviously, 1. The Celtics are now No. 1 in Cleveland’s 15-1 record.

But that was far from the only notable figure of the evening.

From Al Horford’s ageless defense to Jayson Tatum’s drive to Jaylen Brown’s desire to match Cleveland superstar Donovan Mitchell, here are a few more of our favorite songs from Tuesday’s NBA Cup showdown:

-14.2

So far below expected field goal percentage, Al Horford held the Cavaliers down during his spectacular 31 minutes, 36 seconds of floor time in Tuesday’s win. Cleveland players were just 9 of 24 shooting (37.5 percent) when Horford was labeled the top defender in the NBA’s (imperfect) camera-based stats.

Horford was seemingly everywhere in this game. With the Celtics playing only their second game in six nights, the 38-year-old looked even sharper than he did during a big offensive display against the Raptors on Saturday.

It all culminated when Horford grabbed a defensive rebound midway through the fourth quarter and broke out like a point guard in transition, setting up a crucial Payton Pritchard 3-pointer as the Celtics stiff-armed the Cavs in the second half.

Horford’s defense was great in this game. Twice in crunch time he produced big blocks, first chasing Darius Garland all the way to the rim for a whack and denying a cutting Georges Niang soon after.

Horford finished with a team-high 14 shot games, more than double any of the other seven Boston players who saw the floor.

The Cavaliers’ effective field goal percentage plummeted when Horford was on the field. Cleveland was at 54.8 percent for the game (and 72.4 percent during backup big man Neemias Queta’s floor time). But that number dropped to 46.9 with Horford on the field. Boston’s defensive rating was a team-best 103 during Horford’s floor time. (The Cavs were at 123.2 before the game).

Here are more of Horford’s notable matchup numbers:

• Garland was 1-of-8 and shot just two points against Horford, who registered two blocks and caused turnovers as the primary help defender against the speedy guard.

• Mitchell was 1-of-5 shooting with two points and a turnover against Horford.

• Evan Mobley finished with seven points on 2-for-5 shooting, with Horford pinpointing the defender in a robust 6:26 matchup time. Mobley had two turnovers against Horford.

16.7

That was Mitchell’s field goal percentage, with Brown identified as the key defender in Tuesday’s game.

Mitchell generated four points on 1-of-6 shooting against Brown, although he did commit two shooting errors. Against all defensemen not named Brown and Horford, Mitchell was 11 of 18 and shot for 29 points.

Brown and Mitchell have been friendly rivals since the NBA’s 2020 bubble trip, and Brown always seems to be up for that head-to-head matchup. Brown once again showed why he longs to be in that All-Defense conversation by guarding the other team’s leading scorer.

Offensively, Brown created a team-high 22 assist points while handing out eight helpers. He and Tatum both had 12 potential assists, which is a monstrous spike compared to Brown’s typical game numbers.

Brown is averaging 7.6 potential assists per game this season, fourth-best on the team behind Tatum (12.3), Jrue Holiday (8.0) and Derrick White (7.8).

20

That was the team-high number of drives Tatum produced against the Cavaliers, generating 11 points and three assists during those trips to the hoop.

This is the second straight game where Tatum has kicked his drive into high gear. He generated 17 drives against Toronto on Saturday night. This season, Tatum ranks 50th in the NBA with 9.6 drives per game. He averages 6.3 points per game on drives and shoots 52.4 percent.

Brown deserves praise in this place too. He has also averaged 18.5 drives per game over Boston’s last two games. Despite his poor shooting performance against the Cavaliers, Brown shot 66.7 percent (4 for 6) on 16 drives, including muscling two late layups. Additionally, Brown passed eight times on his drives, leading to five assists.

Good things keep happening when the Celtics’ All-Star tandem attacks the basket instead of settling.