In the first game of the 2017-2018 NBA regular season, the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Boston Celtics 102-99. The opening game of the NBA season was very tragic after Celtics' All-Star forward Gordon Hayward suffered a horrific ankle injury. The Cleveland Cavaliers dominated most of the game but the Boston Celtics were able to make it a close game but lost narrowly after Celtics' All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving missed a game-tying three-pointer that would have extended the game to overtime. It was Kyrie Irving's first game back in Cleveland after he got traded in the offseason.
Takeaways for the Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics were down early in the game wherein they ended the first two quarters trailing by 16 points to the Cleveland Cavaliers. But the Celtics managed to turn things around in the third quarter and outscored the Cavaliers 33-18. The game was pretty close during the final quarter, but Boston lacked the push and firepower to win the game.
Second-year forward Jaylen Brown led the Boston Celtics in scoring with a career-high 25 points in 11 out of 23 shooting while adding six rebounds and two steals. Rookie forward Jayson Tatum had a double-double with 14 points and team-high 10 rebounds after starting out the game zero out of five. Tatum also added three assists.
All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving also had a double-double in points and rebounds with 22 and 10 respectively, Kyrie also tallied four rebounds and three steals.
Takeaways for the Cleveland Cavaliers
After the Celtics' 28-8 run in the third quarter, LeBron James took over the game in the fourth. LeBron was extremely good offensively, and he also made some key stops defensively to help them seal the game with a pass leading to a Kevin Love three-pointer.
LeBron James had a terrific night and finished the game with a near triple-double of 29 points, 14 rebounds, and nine assists. Kevin Love added 15 points in four out of nine field goal shooting and 11 rebounds. While former Most Valuable Player awardee Derrick Rose scored 14 points and while grabbing four rebounds.
The Cavaliers fans were worried for a little bit before the opening game after reports went around the league that LeBron James will not be playing due to an ankle injury.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have seven new guys on their roster and it is good to see them get a win against a strong Eastern Conference team as they move forward and contend for the NBA championship. Gordon Hayward reportedly had a dislocated ankle and a tibia fracture and is expected to miss a large part of the season if not the whole season.
