Celtics Light Up Cleveland, DarkHorse's Under Gets Torched in Preseason Shootout

The Celtics rolled into Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and hung 124 on the Cavaliers in a preseason thriller that finished 237 total points—obliterating DarkHorse's under 220.5 call by a country mile. Boston's offense looked midseason sharp despite the exhibition setting, pouring in points with efficiency that suggested Brad Stevens' crew didn't get the "take it easy" memo. Cleveland kept pace for stretches but ultimately fell 124-113, unable to contain Boston's perimeter game or transition attack.

DarkHorse's logic was sound on paper: preseason games typically feature abbreviated starter minutes, deep bench rotations, and sloppy execution that suppresses scoring. The problem? Both squads apparently decided to treat this like Game 7, maintaining offensive intensity well beyond what camp scrimmages usually deliver. Whether coaches extended their rotations less than expected or the second units simply caught fire, the scoreboard told an unforgiving story—237 points when we needed 220 or fewer.

The miss stings because the thesis wasn't wrong conceptually, just fatally optimistic about how conservatively these rosters would play. Preseason unpredictability strikes again. Boston moves forward with offensive confidence; DarkHorse moves forward licking wounds and remembering that exhibition basketball occasionally ignores the script. Final tally: Celtics win, under dies, lesson learned.