Cavaliers punch back, blow out Celtics in Game 2

Mitchell chose to play the role of facilitator early, ending the first half with only six points. However, he came alive after the break. Scoring 23 of his 29 points in the second half, Mitchell forced Boston to empty its bench with five minutes to go in a 118-94 victory. 

The Cavaliers out-rebounded the Celtics 44-31 while holding Boston to just 22.9% shooting from beyond the arc (8-of-35). Led by Evan Mobley (10), Cleveland had five players finish with six or more rebounds and won the points-in-the-paint battle by an overwhelming margin, 60-44. 

Cleveland shot 54.7% from the field (47-of-86) and 46.4% (13-of-28) from three. Along with Mitchell, six players finished in double figures for the Cavaliers, including Mobley, who posted a playoff career-high 21 points (9-of-15), and Caris LeVert, who recorded 21 points (9-of-17) off the bench. 

Despite Mitchell's incredible outing, Thursday's win was a genuine team effort for the Cavaliers. Not only did LeVert rebound after a poor Game 1, but Tristan Thompson also gave Cleveland valuable minutes in Game 2. With Mobley nursing four fouls late in the second half, Thompson held down the fort at center, finishing a plus-five during his nine minutes on the floor. 

Jayson Tatum led a sluggish Boston effort, scoring 25 points (7-of-17) while adding seven rebounds and six assists. Jaylen Brown scored 19 points (7-of-17) but couldn't find his stroke from three, going 0-of-6 from beyond the arc. 

The Celtics haven't tasted defeat that often recently, as Thursday's loss was only their second of the postseason, snapping a four-game winning streak. Boston isn't likely to shoot as poorly as they did in Game 2 again, but the Cavaliers showed they can topple the Eastern Conference favorite as the series heads to Cleveland knotted up at one game apiece.