first-placed Boston, who lost game two at home to the Cavaliers, led the first quarter by two points and never looked back.
Game four of the best-of-seven series will take place in Cleveland on Monday, with the Celtics leading 2-1.
For the Celtics, Jayson Tatum scored 33 points, and Jaylen Brown chipped in with 28.
Tatum stated, “We just wanted to get back up.” “Our back was against the wall, so it was a good test for us to see how we respond—we were up for the challenge.”
Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland in scoring with 33 points.
In other news, the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 105-101 at home to take a 2-1 lead in their Western Conference semi-final.
Leading Mavs scorer Luka Doncic added 22 points, while PJ Washington scored 27.
Kyrie Irving, who also finished with 22 points, scored a string of late baskets to help Dallas hold onto their slim four-point advantage from the third quarter until the end of the contest.
