The Celtics sprinted out in front and never let the Cavaliers retake the lead. The end result was a 112-105 C’s win over the No. 1 team in the East in the Cavs on Tuesday in Cleveland. The Celtics won their fourth straight game to improve to 36-15. The Cavs dropped to 40-10, snapping their own four-game win streak.

Two of the best offenses in the league started off in a slog through the first quarter. But the Celtics settled in first, allowing them to build up a 20-point lead in the first half. The Cavs got it down to a 10-point game by halftime.

The Celtics led throughout most of the second half, though the Cavs weren’t about to go down without a fight. Donovan Mitchell has elevated his game to new heights as he was a problem Tuesday. While the Cavs got close, the Celtics never let sweat the finish as they closed out the victory, courtesy of some Derrick White heroics in the fourth quarter.

Jayson Tatum had 22 points and seven assists to lead the Celtics as White added another 20 points. Mitchell put up 31 points and 10 rebounds for the Cavs while Jarrett Allen finished with 17 points and 19 rebounds.

The Celtics return from their three-game road trip to take on the new-look Mavericks at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at TD Garden. Here are four takeaways from Boston’s win over Cleveland:

Fending off the Cavs: While the Celtics led for the majority of the game, the Cavs and Mitchell made noise down the stretch. The crowd sensed the urgency as they were right in the game. But the C’s stood strong in crunch-time, which has been an issue during their recent struggles. The Celtics executed their way to the victory over the East’s best as they’ve found some consistency in recent games.

Goodbye slump: While White had some forgettable nights over the past couple months, those cold-shooting days seem to be behind him now. White was huge down the stretch Tuesday, knocking in some crucial shots as he finished 6-for-12 from 3-point land. The Cavs had some momentum, but White’s 14 points in the fourth quarter were the difference-maker. White is now 22-for-47 (46.8%) from 3 over his last five games. Those slump days look firmly behind him now.

Bench a difference: The Celtics slogged through the early parts of the game, but the dynamic changed when their reserves checked in. The depth was a consistent factor throughout the night as their play lifted the C’s. Al Horford finished with 13 points and nine rebounds while Payton Pritchard added another nine points. Luke Kornet also continued to play well with four points, three rebounds and three assists. The plus/minus numbers looked great for the bench as they dominated their Cavs counterparts Tuesday. Horford and Pritchard also got some crunch-time minutes, partially because Brown was in foul trouble.

Race for the top: The Cavaliers have led the East for the majority of the season, but after Tuesday’s game, the Celtics still have 31 games left on the schedule. With the win, they also trail the Cavs by 4.5 games now. So there’s still plenty of time to make up ground in the standings. Notably, the Celtics are also on a four-game winning streak after Tuesday as they’re finally starting to string together victories again. The teams meet for the fourth and final time this season Feb. 28 at the Garden with the C’s holding a 2-1 edge currently in the head-to-head.

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