BOSTON CELTICS (13-4) 106, CAVS (7-10) 87
at Quicken Loans Arena
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio, NBA TV


WHAT HAPPENED: This was a mismatch from the start. There was no magic like there was in the season opener on Oct. 27 when the Cavs posted a 95-87 win over the Celtics.

Boston extended its winning streak to four games in a row.

The Celtics turned loose point guard Rajon Rondo, and like usual, he made them look bad. He had 23 points and 12 assists on the night.

This game was more representative of how good the Celtics are. They weren't coming off a back-to-back set on Tuesday. They had a chance to scout the Cavs and figured out their tendencies.

The Cavs' running game never materialized. The Celtics outscored the Cavs in fastbreak points, 16-12.

Of course, the story of the game was the points in the paint, where the Celtics dominated, 60-26.

One of the bright spots for the Cavs was the play of center Anderson Varejao, who had 16 points and 12 rebounds, his third double-double of the season.

He grabbed a season-high seven offensive rebounds. He’s five defensive rebounds away from tying Tyrone Hill (1,830) for eight place on the Cavs’ all-time list.

The rest of the starting frontline was no factor, whatsoever. J.J. Hickson had one point and Joey Graham got in foul trouble.

STARTERS
SF Joey Graham (6-7, 230) vs. Paul Pierce (6-7, 235)
PF J.J. Hickson (6-9, 242) vs. Kevin Garnett (6-11, 253)
C Anderson Varejao (6-11, 260) vs. Shaquille O'Neal (7-1, 325)
SG Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. Ray Allen (6-5, 205)
PG Mo Williams (6-1, 195) vs. Rajon Rondo (6-1, 171)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs - F/C Samardo Samuels, G Christian Eyenga, G Manny Harris.
Celtics - G Delonte West, C Jermaine O'Neal, C Kendrick Perkins.
OFFICIALS
Dick Bavetta, Kevin Cutler, John Goble