Celtics-Cavs recap: C's topple unbeaten Cleveland in gutsy 120-117 win

Eddie House and our Celtics Postgame Live crew react to Boston's thrilling NBA Cup victory.

The Celtics' veteran big man chatted with our Abby Chin after his standout performance in Boston's 120-117 win over Cleveland.

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla praised veteran big man Al Horford after Tuesday's win.

"He's an innate competitor and he has the ability to inspire guys," Mazzulla said. "He's a great leader and sometimes his actions are so loud and his competitiveness is so loud, and tonight was one of those nights."

The 38-year-old Horford stepped up with 20 points (7-11 FG, 4-5 3-PT) and seven rebounds.

Score: 107-100 Celtics, 5:29 left in fouth quarter

Jayson Tatum is still cooking. The C's star has a game-high 30 points with 11 rebounds and six assists. He's 6-of-8 from 3-point range.

Payton Pritchard drilled his third 3-pointer of the night to extend the Celtics lead to seven before the Cavs timeout. He has 13 off the bench.

The Cavs have given the Celtics fits in the paint, but Boston has been able to maintain the lead with timely 3s. The Celtics are 21-of-37 (56.8 percent) from deep.

Score: 98-93 Celtics, 9:02 left in fourth quarter

Joe Mazzulla challenged a foul call on Al Horford but lost. The officials stated that Horford made contact with Ty Jerome on the way to the basket.

Score: 93-88 Celtics

Jayson Tatum helped make up for the Celtics' disastrous finish to the third quarter with a 3-pointer at the buzzer. He's up to a game-high 28 points (6-8 3-PT) and 11 rebounds.

Cleveland cut Boston's 21-point lead to just two points before Tatum's 3-pointer. Evan Mobley has starred for the Cavs with 22 points and eight boards.

The Celtics are shooting 19-of-32 (59.4 percent) from 3-point range but slowed down during their sluggish third-quarter stretch. The Cavaliers are 7-for-20 from deep.

Score: 82-76 Celtics, 3:25 left in third quarter.

Boston's 21-point lead has been cut to six with just over three minutes to go in the third quarter. Cleveland is on an 18-3 run over the last four minutes.

The Cavaliers have done most of their damage in the paint. They're outscoring the Celtics in the paint, 40-16. The C's interior defense has been an issue all season.

Score: 79-63 Celtics, 6:55 left in third quarter

Boston has 18 3-point makes with 6:55 left in the third. The franchise record for made 3s in a game is 29, which the C's tied in their Opening Night win over the New York Knicks. The record could again be in reach if they keep up this torrid pace.

Score: 74-56 Celtics, 9:24 left in third quarter

Boston continues to shoot the lights out from 3-point range (17-25). Al Horford added another to give him 15 points on 3-of-4 shooting from deep. Jrue Holiday is also 3-for-4 from 3 with 11 points.

Sam Merrill hit back-to-back 3s to improve Cleveland's shooting percentage from deep to 37.5 (6-16).

Score: 65-48 Celtics

The C's enter the half with their biggest lead of the night (17). They've been lethal from 3-point range, shooting 14-for-22 (63.6 percent) from beyond the arc. To put that into perspective, Cleveland has only 14 3-point attempts (four makes).

Jayson Tatum has been a man on a mission. The Celtics superstar is up to 17 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and two steals. He'll be on triple-double watch in the second half.

Al Horford is also enjoying a nice night with 12 points (2-3 3PT). Payton Pritchard has 10 off the bench.

Score: 51-41 Celtics, 4:00 left in second quarter

Boston has shot 10-of-17 (58.8 percent) from 3-point range over the first 20 minutes. That's been the difference as Cleveland is just 3-of-11 (27.3 percent) from deep.

Jayson Tatum continues to dominate with 11 points (2-2 3-PT), six rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Al Horford (10 points) is also 2-for-2 from long range. Payton Pritchard has 10 points off the bench (2-3 3-PT).

Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Craig Porter Jr. lead the Cavs with eight points apiece.

Score: 34-30 Celtics, 8:04 left in second quarter

Jayson Tatum is on triple-double watch with eight points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals.

Evan Mobley has six points, five rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block for the Cavs.

Score: 26-20 Celtics

Boston has a slim early lead after a sharp defensive first quarter for both sides. Jayson Tatum leads all scorers with eight points to go with five rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Al Horford has six points with a pair of 3-pointers.

Sam Hauser beat the buzzer to give the C's a six-point lead after one.

The Cavs are 0-for-6 from 3-point range to start, but they're outscoring the C's in the paint 12-10.

Score: 20-14 Celtics, 3:04 left in first quarter

So far, this has been one of the C's best defensive showings of the season. They've limited Cleveland -- the No. 1 offensive team in the league -- to 6-of-19 (31.6 percent) from the floor and 0-for-6 from 3.

Meanwhile, the Celtics have shot 5-of-10 from beyond the arc. Jayson Tatum and Al Horford have six points apiece and Jrue Holiday has added five.

Score: 12-4 Celtics, 7:41 left in first quarter

Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, and Jaylen Brown each hit 3-pointers, and Jayson Tatum added three points of his own with an and-1 to give Boston an early eight-point lead. Tatum already has three rebounds, two assists, and two steals.

Cleveland has started just 2-for-10 from the floor and 0-for-4 from 3-point range.

Celtics: Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Al Horford.

Cavaliers: Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Sam Merrill, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen.

Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis looked spry as he got shots up ahead of Tuesday's game vs. the Cavs:

The Cavaliers officially ruled out Isaac Okoro, Dean Wade, and Caris LeVert for Tuesday's matchup.

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla spoke before Tuesday's game about the Bruins firing coach Jim Montgomery.

“Hate to see a coach have to go through that, but we all get hired to get fired," Mazzulla said.

C's coach Joe Mazzulla said big man Kristaps Porzingis made it through his practice with the Maine Celtics well and is "getting better and better" in his recovery. The team shared an encouraging update on Porzingis' status on Monday.

Payton Pritchard is available for Tuesday's game, the team announced. He previously was listed as questionable with a thumb sprain.