The Boston Celtics defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers, 112-106, at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on Wednesday night.

The Celtics (42-19) and the Cavaliers (17-45) played a tight encounter, although that mostly happened because the Celtics were shorthanded entering this matchup, with players such as Kemba Walker, Gordon Hayward and Jaylen Brown missing out through injuries. Boston, however, didn't have major issues to secure the win while controlling most of the contest. The Celtics quickly jumped to a 28-27 lead in the first quarter, and they would extend their edge by halftime to a six-point lead following a 30-25 second quarter. The Cavaliers reduced the differential in the third quarter thanks to a 25-23 score, but the Celtics managed to seal the deal in the final 12 minutes of action. Despite Cleveland's attempts to complete the comeback, Boston sealed the deal on route to a win. With the win, Boston moved to 19-12 on the road while the Cavaliers fell to 9-25 at home.

Jayson Tatum was Boston's best player, as he embraced the bigger responsibility on offense with a 32-point performance, but he also added nine rebounds, six assists, two steals and one block. Marcus Smart chipped in with 18 points in 32 minutes, while Enes Kanter had a double-double off the bench with 10 points and 11 rebounds. One of Boston's most surprising performances was the one of Semi Ojeleye, who contributed 22 points in 30 minutes off the bench after shooting 8-11 from the field.

Collin Sexton had a career-high 41 points while shooting 17-30 from the field, but that wasn't enough to lead the Cavaliers to an upset at home. Kevin Love chipped in with 26 points, 14 rebounds, five assists and one block. Larry Nance Jr. notched 19 points, 15 boards and four steals.