Cavaliers Drop Game 1 in Boston

Celtics lead series 1-0

Strong defense gives Celtics the edge

The Boston Celtics took a 1-0 lead in their Eastern Conference first-round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers with a 120-95 victory in Game 1 on Tuesday night at TD Garden.

The Celtics led by as many as 26 points in the second half and held the Cavaliers to just 34 points in the fourth quarter.

Jayson Tatum led the way for the Celtics with 27 points, while Jaylen Brown added 25 points and Marcus Smart had 18 points.

Darius Garland led the Cavaliers with 21 points, while Jarrett Allen added 17 points.

The Celtics improved to 40-21-3 against the Cavaliers all-time, including a 20-11 record at home.

Game 2 of the series will be played on Thursday night in Boston.

The Celtics are now the favorites to win the series, as they have a strong home-court advantage and a better regular-season record than the Cavaliers.

The Cavaliers will need to play much better in Game 2 if they want to tie the series.