Cavs bounce back in G2 upset win over Celtics -- 'Whatever it takes' - ESPN

BOSTON — In the opening minute of the fourth quarter Thursday night, Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell came off a screen at the top of the key and fired up a 3-pointer.

After the shot, which appeared off line as it left his hand, ricocheted off the backboard and through the net, Mitchell could simply shrug as he backpedaled down the court.

It was the same reaction virtually everyone inside TD Garden had for this one, as Cleveland — fresh off a 25-point loss in Game 1 — responded with a stellar second half in Game 2, cruising to a 118-94 victory and evening this Eastern Conference semifinal series at a game apiece.

With it, 12.5-point underdog Cleveland pulled off the biggest playoff victory by a double-digit underdog since 1991, nearly doubling the prior biggest win, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

«It's always good to get a win on the road, but at the end of the day, it's one game,» Mitchell said after scoring 29 points, including 23 in the second half, as he became the second Cavalier — alongside LeBron James — to score at least 25 in five straight postseason games, according to ESPN Stats & Information. «So it was good to get the win. We did a lot of really positive things. But, at the end of the day, it doesn't matter.

»You gotta go take care of home court. It's nice to get this win, but at the end of the day, we got one day to prepare and get ready to protect homecourt."

That Cleveland is now in control of home court wasn't expected in this series — especially after the Celtics routed the Cavaliers in similar fashion in Game 1. But thanks to going 13-for-28 from 3-point range, shooting nearly 55 percent from the field, dominating in points in the paint (60-44) and on the glass (44-31),