The Celtics picked up from where they left off in Game 3 in the first half of Game 4, racing out to a 57-47 halftime lead. But the Cavs, led by Kyrie Irving, scored 40 points in the third quarter en route to a 112-99 victory Tuesday night at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.
The Celtics showed tremendous ball movement in the first half and was able to draw four fouls on LeBron James. It was the first time in James’ career that he had four fouls called on him in the first two quarters. With James on the bench, Irving took over – however. He finished with a career-playoff high of 42 points on 15-of-22 shooting. James finished with 34 points and had a strong second half.
Four out of the five Celtics starters finished with at least 15 points (Jae Crowder, Al Horford, Kelly Olynyk and Avery Bradley). Jonas Jerebko and Jaylen Brown each had nine points off the bench.
Game 5 of the series is Thursday (8:30 p.m., TNT) at TD Garden in Boston, where the Celtics will to stave off elimination.
