The Celtics got 25 points from Jayson Tatum and advanced to their third-straight Eastern Conference finals with a 113-98 win over the Cavs on Wednesday night.
BOSTON — The Boston Celtics, behind 25 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists from Jayson Tatum, defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 113-98 in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series Wednesday night, advancing to the Eastern Conference finals for a third straight season.
The Celtics’ secured their sixth trip to the East finals in eight years, marking the second time they have accomplished that feat (also 1980-88) and joining the Philadelphia 76ers (1977-85), Los Angeles Lakers (1980-91), Chicago Bulls (1989-98), Detroit Pistons (2003-08) and Golden State Warriors (2015-22) in doing so since the NBA went to a two-conference format in the 1970-71 season.
Boston will now await the winner of the other Eastern Conference semifinal between the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers, which New York leads 3-2 heading into Friday’s Game 6 in Indianapolis, with the conference finals set to begin at TD Garden either Sunday afternoon or Tuesday night.
For much of the first half Wednesday night, however, it looked like that might not be the case, despite Cleveland playing without star guard Donovan Mitchell (left calf strain); guard Caris LeVert (left knee bone bruise), Mitchell’s replacement in the starting lineup in Game 4; and starting center Jarrett Allen, who missed his eighth straight game with a bruised rib.
