The Cleveland Cavaliers are looking to increase their lead atop the Eastern Conference standings when they visit the Boston Celtics at the TD Garden on Tuesday night. It's the first meeting between the two teams since the Cavaliers swept the Celtics in last season's first-round playoff matchup.

During Game 4, Kevin Love dislocated his shoulder while battling for position against Kelly Olynyk that caused him to miss the entire post-season. The two players are in good terms as reported by the Boston Globe last May, but the same can't be said between Jae Crowder and J.R. Smith.

Smith gave Crowder a backhanded punch causing him to lose balance and suffer a sprained ACL during the fourth quarter of the same game. The Cavs shooting guard was suspended for two games but has not apologized to the Crowder since the incident.

"I hope he apologizes to be honest with you. I hope it wasn't intentional. But if he doesn't apologize, then we'll play ball," the Celtics swingman told ESPN. Crowder was very fortunate to not undergo surgery and just needed rehab for his injured knee.

The 25-year-old has been a vital part of Boston's rotation, serving as the starting small forward for one of the deepest teams in the NBA. He scored 16 points in the 98-93 win over the Charlotte Hornets last Saturday at the Time Warner Cable Arena.

Avery Bradley scored 23 points to lead the Celtics while Isaiah Thomas added a double-double with 21 points and 13 assists. It was the second game of a back-to-back after losing in double overtime versus the defending champions Golden State Warriors on Friday.

"We have been awfully good on the second night of back-to-backs, for whatever reason, on the road. So we have a lot of confidence that we are going to, if we struggle early, we will find that second wind. We're not going to make any excuses," Celtics head coach Brad Stevens said.

The Cavaliers are coming off a three-day rest after blowing the out the Orlando Magic on Friday 111-76. LeBron James had 25 points, three rebounds and eight assists while Timofey Mozgov added 17 points and four rebounds.

Iman Shumpert made his season debut scoring 14 points off the bench in just 24 minutes. Shumpert suffered an injury to his right wrist just before the start of training camp. Cleveland is close to full strength as Kyrie Irving may be returning before the Christmas game against the Warriors. The All-Star guard suffered a fractured left knee cap in Game 1 of last year's finals.

Tip-off in Boston starts at 7:30 p.m. ET and the game broadcasted nationally via NBA TV. It is available in Canada thru Sportsnet ONE and locally on CSNHD and FOX Sports Ohio.