Boston @ Cleveland Game Overview

The Cavaliers continue to sit in first place, and Boston trails them by 5 1/2 games.

Each team is coming off a noteworthy performance Sunday. Boston overcame a 26-point deficit to beat Philadelphia 118-110. It tied the largest deficit an NBA team has overcome to win a game this season.

The Celtics scored 54 of the game's final 74 points to extend their winning streak to three games.

"Our competitive spirit just wasn't where it needed to be (in the first half)," Jayson Tatum said. "(Boston coach Joe Mazzulla) was just like, ‘If you're tired, then just tell me. I'll sit you guys (the starters) down and let the stay-ready group play.'

"We just had a choice to make. It was a long third quarter. It didn't go our way right away, but we just had to keep fighting. It brought the best out of us. That's how we're supposed to play. It took a little bit from everybody. Our competitive joy was there on both ends and it was just fun to be a part of."

Cleveland scored 91 points in the first half and set a franchise record by making 26 3-pointers in its 144-101 triumph over Dallas on Sunday. The Cavaliers have made at least 10 3-pointers in 54 straight games. The Houston Rockets hold the NBA record for consecutive games with 10 or more 3-pointers (97).

Cleveland's Sam Merrill broke out of a shooting slump by making nine 3-pointers in the win. Merrill missed each of his four 3-point attempts during Thursday's victory over Atlanta and entered Sunday's game shooting 32.8 percent -- 5.5 percentage points below his career average -- from 3-point range this season.

"It feels good to have a great shooting game like that, but it's only one game," Merrill said. "It's all about getting into a rhythm. There were times this year where I felt I was starting to get into a rhythm and then last game I got sick. So one game was fun, but we move on to the next one."

Cleveland, which owns a four-game winning streak, leads the league in 3-point shooting percentage (39.6 percent) and is averaging 16.3 made 3-pointers per game. Only the Celtics are averaging more made shots from behind the 3-point arc (17.8).

"For some guys, it is about making shots, but for (Merrill), he's such a good all-around player that (Sunday's shooting performance) is just icing on the cake," Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said. "We all knew it was coming. The guy's a great shooter. He's struggled a little bit, but it never affected his defense -- never affects what he puts in on the other side of the ball. Just a big cog in our bench and our team."

Tuesday's matchup will be the third meeting between the team's this season. Cleveland was 15-0 until Boston earned a 120-117 victory at home on Nov. 19. The Cavaliers prevailed 115-111 at home on Dec. 1.

Cleveland has a 24-3 record on its home court, but Boston has played better on the road (19-6) than it has at home (16-9) this season.

--Field Level Media