BOSTON (AP) — LeBron James scored 24 points to lead the Cavaliers to an 89-77 victory over the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night in an uneventful rematch of their bruising first-round playoff series last season.
Kevin Love scored 20 with eight rebounds in his first game back in Boston since Kelly Olynyk yanked his shoulder out of socket in the playoffs. Jae Crowder, who took a punch in the jaw from J.R. Smith in the series, scored 14 for the Celtics.
The game marked Love’s return to Boston where he had his arm yanked out of the socket by Boston forward Kelly Olynyk during their first-round playoff series. Cleveland swept the Celtics but lost in the NBA Finals to the Golden State Warriors.
Timofey Mozgov had nine points and a season-high 10 rebounds, scoring seven with five boards in the third quarter when Cleveland turned a five-point deficit into a 10-point lead.
The Cavaliers have won three in a row since losing three straight to start the month.
Cavaliers coach David Blatt says he is just being cautious with point guard Kyrie Irving. He says Irving is not 100 percent and, with a lot of the season left, he wanted to make sure Irving and shooting guard Iman Shumpert were ready before they returned.
Irving broke his left kneecap during the NBA Finals and has not played since. Shumpert injured his right wrist before training camp and made his season debut against Orlando on Friday.