Far from being good, the game was bad and ugly, but the Celtics still won it going away.
Jayson Tatum hit a three-pointer with 5:38 left in the first quarter to give the Celtics a lead that they would never relinquish, eventually winning a sluggish slog that ended with them ahead 96-83.
Tatum ended up with 24 points, seven rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocks, and was the best player on the floor for the Celtics – but that’s not saying much as Boston shot just 36.5 percent from the field as a team.
Cleveland was better at 41.9 percent but also turned the ball over 15 times and only hit 63.2 percent of their free throws. Even more concerning for the Cavaliers than their numbers was the play of LeBron James, who looked tired and unengaged during large parts of the game.
James had 26 points, 10 rebounds and six turnovers on the night but only hit one basket on four shots in the fourth quarter and just didn’t seem to have a lot of gas left in the tank.
“I had my moments, but I think everybody at this point is tired, worn down whatever the case may be,” he said afterward. “I was still trying to make plays, put our team in position to win.”
With the Celtics now holding a 3-2 lead in the series, Game 6 is Friday night in Cleveland. Teams that take a 3-2 lead in Game 5 of a best-of-seven series win 83 percent of the time.
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