National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Cleveland 88, Boston 87
When: 6:00 PM ET, Sunday, January 29, 2012
Where: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Officials: #8 Marc Davis, #42 Eric Lewis, #31 Scott Wall
Attendance: 18624
Kyrie Irving’s drive and basket with 2.6 seconds left gave Cleveland a stunning 88-87 road win over the Boston Celtics on Sunday after the Cavaliers overcame a 10-point deficit with five minutes left.

The Celtics didn’t have a field goal over the final 4:58 and the Cavaliers slowly chipped their way back. After missing two open looks, they retained possession with 22 seconds left when Anderson Varejao dove for a loose ball and the Cavs called timeout.

After the timeout, Irving stood at the top of the key and dribbled the clock under seven seconds before he split defenders Avery Bradley and Brandon Bass and flipped in a layup with his left hand. He had a similar game-winning attempt earlier this season at Indiana and missed.

Irving finished with 23 points and six assists, and Varejao had a season-high 18 points for the Cavs, who won for just the second time in their last seven games.

The loss spoiled the return of Ray Allen, who missed three games with an injured left ankle. Allen had 22 points and Paul Pierce had 18, but Pierce missed a contested look at the buzzer that would’ve given the Celtics the victory.
Top Game Performances
 
Cleveland   Boston
Kyrie Irving 23 Scoring Ray Allen 22
Kyrie Irving 6 Assists Paul Pierce 5
Anderson Varejao 9 Rebounds Kevin Garnett 7
Alonzo Gee 8 Free Throws Made Kevin Garnett 4
Alonzo Gee 4 Steals Ray Allen 1
Tristan Thompson 2 Blocks Brandon Bass 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Cleveland 88 43.0 3-13 17-20 12 37 4 11 14
Boston 87 52.2 5-11 10-14 21 33 3 6 16
Upcoming Games
  • Boston will play their next game on the road against Cleveland. The Celtics have a W/L % of .600 after a win and .333 after a loss.
  • Cleveland will play their next game at home against Boston. The Cavaliers have a W/L % of .143 after a win and .583 after a loss.