preCharge News MASSACHUSETTS — The Boston Celtics are back, and so is Derrick White. The Celtics won their fourth straight game Tuesday night, holding off a late surge by the top-seeded Cavaliers for a 112-105 victory in Cleveland.

Defense was really the name of the game for the Celtics, as they logged 10 steals, six blocks, and held the Cavaliers to a season-low 39.6 percent from the floor. Star forward Jayson Tatum led the scoring charge with 22 points, while a 12-point first quarter from Jaylen Brown helped Boston build an early lead.

But as the Cavaliers crept back in the second half, it was White who stomped out any comeback bid by the only team ahead of the Celtics in the Eastern Conference. White scored 17 of his 20 points after halftime, including eight straight points in the fourth quarter to keep the Cavs at bay.

Takeaways 

Celtics: Porzingis’ presence makes Boston that much tougher to defend. The 7-foot-3 big man was injured and missed last year’s playoff series against Cleveland. The Cavs continually got caught making bad switches while trying to guard Porzingis. 

Cavaliers: All-Star Evan Mobley had a rough night. He finished with just 7 points on 3 of 14 shooting and failed to make a significant impact at either end. Mobley recently returned from a calf injury and doesn’t seem to have his explisiveness back. 

Key moment 

After the Cavs pulled within four late in the fourth, White hit a short jumper followed by back-to-back 3-pointers to give Boston a 107-97 lead with 2:41 left. 

Key stat 

Cleveland started just 1 of 14 on 3-pointers and finished 11 of 39 (28%) behind the arc. They’ve made at least 10 3s in 55 straight games. 

Up next 

On Thursday, the Celtics host Dallas, which just acquired Anthony Davis from the Lakers in a superstar swap for Luka Doncic. The Cavaliers are in Detroit on Wednesday.