The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Boston Celtics 132-123 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, on Friday, to extend their winning-streak to four games.

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown of the Celtics have been considered as the best star duos in today's NBA and probably the most promising one, judging by their age. The two combined to score 64 points, 15 rebounds and eight assists at home on Friday night, helping their team establish a 15-point lead in the first half (75-60).

However, Donovan Mitchell and Caris LeVert might have given people second thoughts by getting 41 points each and leading the Cavaliers to come back in the second half and overtime (OT). Mitchell has been known for being an explosive scorer since he entered the NBA in 2017 and that's why the Cavaliers were willing to trade heavily for him. He has averaged 31 points in the past five games.

LeVert is a different case from Mitchell. He invested most of his efforts in orchestrating in the four games before Friday because the Cavaliers' star point guard Darius Garland suffered a left eye laceration in the season opener. However, when the team needed the second scoring option to share the burden with Mitchell in the second half of Friday's game, LeVert stood out to contribute 26 points in the third and fourth quarters plus OT. He outscored the whole team of the Celtics 11-9 during OT.

Cavaliers head coach J. B. Bickerstaff's rotations played a key role in the team's victory too. He kept the team's starting twin tower, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, for as long as 42 and 40 minutes respectively on the court on Friday night, intentionally trying to attack the opponents' vulnerability in size.

As a result, the Cavaliers led in both offensive rebounds (9-5) and second-chance points (14-9). Both Mobley and Allen had double-digit rebounds.

Tatum again had strange development of his performance in Friday's loss. He went 10-for-14 from the field to score 30 points in the first three quarters, but only took five attempts, including four missed jumpers, in the rest of the game. By switching to an off-ball offense, Tatum lost his aggressiveness, which earned him eight free throws. His "disappearance" from the offensive front placed too much of a load on Brown's shoulders. Though Brown scored 14 of the Celtics' 24 points in the fourth quarter and OT, he was outnumbered by Mitchell and LeVert.

Other games on Friday (away teams come first):

Charlotte Hornets 93-113 Orlando Magic

Paolo Banchero, who was drafted by the Magic with the first pick in June, extended his 20+points scoring-streak to six games after dropping 27 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists at Amway Center. He became the sixth rookie in league history to get 20+points in his first six games, joining Oscar Robertson, Dominique Wilkins, Grant Hill, Elvin Hayes and Wilt Chamberlain.

More importantly, Banchero helped the Magic secure their first win in the 2022-23 regular season. Judging by his teammates in the starting lineup – Wendell Carter Jr., Franz Wagner, Bol Bol and Terrence Ross – on Friday, Banchero played as an orchestrator and he delivered seven assists with only two turnovers.

Los Angeles Lakers 102-111 Minnesota Timberwolves

Lakers head coach had Russell Westbrook begin off the bench at Target Center on Friday, putting Troy Brown Jr. in the starting lineup along with LeBron James. Brown Jr. shot 4-for-6 from downtown, generating nearly half of the team's production (9-for-29) there. With "more" shooters to support him, James dropped 28 points, seven rebounds, five assists and four steals in the game, passing Karl Malone to own the NBA's All-Time straight 20+points games record of 1,135. Westbrook contributed 18 points, eight rebounds and three assists in the backup unit. He also earned 10 free throws, the most on the team's roster.

Nonetheless, none of the above kept the purple and gold from suffering the fifth consecutive loss this season and falling to the bottom in the Western Conference. Without Anthony Davis, who sat on this game due to lower back tightness, the Lakers watched Rudy Gobert score a double-double of 22 points and 21 rebounds, including eight on the offensive glass. The team also committed as many as 22 turnovers while delivering 20 assists. So far, only the Lakers and Sacramento Kings remain winless in the league.

Chicago Bulls 124-129 San Antonio Spurs

Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich was kind enough to call a timeout when DeMar DeRozan made a jumper in the first quarter to reach 20,000 points in his career. DeRozan, who played three seasons in the Spurs between 2018 and 2021, received cheers from fans at AT&T Center during the timeout and hugged Popovich.

However, DeRozan's 33 points on Friday were not good enough to bring the Bulls a win. Keldon Johnson had 33 points too for the Spurs while six of his teammates also scored in double digits.

Atlanta Hawks 136-112 Detroit Pistons

Philadelphia 76ers 112-90 Toronto Raptors

Indiana Pacers 127-117 Washington Wizards

New York Knicks 108-119 Milwaukee bucks

Utah Jazz 101-117 Denver Nuggets

New Orleans Pelicans 111-124 Phoenix Suns

Houston Rockets 111-125 Portland Trail Blazers