"No Jaylen Brown, not impressive" - Celtics fans unfazed despite Donovan Mitchell's brilliance as Cavs snatch thriller

The Cleveland Cavaliers prevailed 115-111 during Sunday's home matchup against the Boston Celtics behind star shooting guard Donovan Mitchell's late-game heroics. However, Celtics fans were unimpressed by the Cavaliers' thrilling signature win, highlighting their squad's high-profile absences.

Cleveland and Boston entered Sunday separated by 0.5 games atop the Eastern Conference standings, making their showdown a battle for the No. 1 seed. The Cavaliers also sought redemption after falling 120-117 in Boston on Nov. 19.

With Cleveland trailing 84-72 entering the fourth quarter, Mitchell put his squad on his back, scoring 20 of his game-high 35 points. He shot a perfect 6-for-6 in the final frame as the Cavaliers outscored the Celtics 43-27 to eke out a four-point home victory.

In doing so, Cleveland (18-3) snapped Boston's (16-4) seven-game winning streak. It also retained the East's top seed, moving 1.5 games ahead of the defending NBA champions.

However, Celtics fans were quick to discredit Mitchell and the Cavaliers, noting that their team was shorthanded. Boston played without two starters: star wing Jaylen Brown (illness) and guard Derrick White (foot).

"No Jaylen Brown, not impressive," @g12_lj said.

"No Jaylen brown and Derrick White. We all know the outcome of this game if they played," @sc6rin wrote.

"No Jaylen or D-White. We are not moved," @NetworkPicks1 said.

"Took Mitchell shooting 100% from the field in the fourth to beat the Celtics only by four with no Brown or Derrick White. Not an impressive win," @NotTheRealIsaac wrote.

"We were missing two All-Star starters, for your information," @attymal said.

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Donovan Mitchell makes NBA history with clutch fourth-quarter performance against Celtics

With his perfect 20-point fourth-quarter showing against Boston, Donovan Mitchell made NBA history.

Per StatMamba, the five-time All-Star became the 10th player to record 20-plus points on 100.0% shooting in a fourth quarter.

Through 20 outings, Mitchell is averaging a team-best 24.6 points per game for the league-leading Cavaliers. His latest statement performance should boost his standing in the MVP race.

Mitchell and Cleveland should also have a prime opportunity to build on Sunday's win on Tuesday when they host the NBA-worst Washington Wizards (2-16). Washington has lost a league-high 14 consecutive games, with its last victory coming on Oct. 30.

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