Jaylen Brown's big three-pointer gives Celtics 3-1 lead over Cavs

After Max Strus missed a three that could have cut Boston's lead to two, Brown nailed just his second triple of the night to give the Celtics an eight-point lead with 1:07 left. Boston went on to win 109-102 and take a 3-1 series lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Jayson Tatum again struggled at the end of the game, besides finding Brown for his big shot. Tatum only made one of his final six shots, recovering one miss for a layup after Caris Levert blocked his shot. But his 23 points gave Boston enough of an offensive cushion to withstand Cleveland’s late push.

Mitchell missed Game 4 with a calf strain while Allen remained out with a rib contusion that’s sidelined him since the first round. Darius Garland scored 30 for the Cavs while Evan Mobley had 19, but Cleveland just didn’t have enough offensive firepower, needing a late 12-2 run just to get within five with 3:14 to go.

It was another unimpressive win against a battered opponent for the Celtics, but ugly wins count the same as pretty ones in the NBA playoffs. Thanks to the scoring of Brown and Tatum, Boston is one win away its their third straight trip to conference finals.