You can say that the Cleveland Cavaliers snatched a win from the jaws of defeat Monday night against the Boston Celtics. Looking as though they were on their way to tasting defeat at the hands of the Celtics for the second time this season, lady luck smiled on Cleveland and helped the Cavs score a 118-114 overtime victory.
By beating Boston again, the Cavs just became the third team in five decades in the NBA to win three overtime games against the same team in a season, per OPTAStats.
The @cavs won their third overtime game against the Boston Celtics this season, becoming the third team in the last 50 years to beat a single opponent three times in overtime in a season. The last team to do so was the Indiana Pacers against the Miami Heat in the 2004-05 season.
The Celtics had a lead of as many as 15 points during the game, Donovan Mitchell and the Cavs were not going to just let Boston get away easily. Mitchell finished the game with 40 points on 14-for-34 shooting from the field, while Evan Mobley generated a double-double performance of 25 points and 17 rebounds. Darius Garland also had a big night, coming up with 17 points and 12 assists.
Boston had a golden chance to seal the deal near the end of regulation, but two botched free throws from Grant Williams gave the Cavs the oxygen they needed to get the job done in overtime.
The Cavs are now 3-1 this season versus Boston, including the two overtime win earlier in the 2022-23 NBA campaign.