Yahoo Sports: The Ultimate Destination for Sports Fanatics!

A couple of weeks ago, the Cavaliers mounted a fourth-quarter comeback against the Celtics but ultimately fell short in a match-up between the top two teams in the East. However, Donovan Mitchell was determined not to let history repeat itself.

Cleveland trailed by a dozen early in the fourth quarter but were sparked by Mitchell, who scored 20 in the final frame while knocking down four 3-pointers, and Cleveland came back for a 115-111 win at home.

DONOVAN MITCHELL HUGE 4Q

20 PTS (35 overall)
8 straight in 67 seconds
6-6 FGM
4-4 3PM@cavs come back from down 14 in the 2H to stay atop the Eastern Conference! pic.twitter.com/1SC8mKjhCb

— NBA (@NBA) December 2, 2024

Mitchell finished with 35 points and seven boards, while Darius Garland scored 22 and dished out eight assists. Cleveland got a huge boost from George Niang off the bench with 13 points and some clutch buckets late. The Cavaliers also showed off how good their defense can be.

Jayson Tatum had 33 to lead the Celtics, Peyton Pritchard scored 24 off the bench, and Kristaps Porzingis added 21 with eight rebounds.

This was a quality win for Cleveland, just don't mistake it for a playoff preview — Boston was without two starters in Jaylen Brown and Derrick White (the Cavaliers remain without Max Strus and Dean Wade), plus both of these teams will evolve over the remaining four-and-a-half months of the NBA season. That said, these two talented, physical teams facing off in May in a seven-game series would be something to see.