By The Boston Celtics handed the Cleveland Cavaliers their first defeat of the season on Tuesday, holding off a spirited fightback to record a thrilling 120-117 victory.
The Cavaliers became just the fourth team in NBA history to start a season 15-0, but a huge night from Boston star Jason Tatum ensured Cleveland left TD Garden with a ‘1’ in the loss column.
Tatum finished with 33 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and two steals in an all-around performance.
The rest of the team shared the scoring burden for Boston, with a total of six players reaching double figures: Al Horford had 20 points, Derrick White 19, Jaylen Brown 17, Payton Pritchard 13 and Jrue Holiday had 11.
White said after the game that the players felt the added excitement of hosting the only unbeaten team in the league, a team the Celtics ousted in the Eastern Conference Semifinals last season.
“Everybody knew that they were undefeated and coming to our building,” he said. “And also, it’s an NBA Cup game, and we already lost one game, so it was a really big game in that aspect. So, we were all aware.”
Hot three-point shooting helped the Celtics open up a 17-point halftime lead, which swelled to 21 in the third quarter, but the Cavaliers fought back impressively, quickly closing the gap to two points.
It wasn’t enough to rattle the defending champions, however, who hung on for the win.
“I’m happy how we fought back,” said Cleveland big man Evan Mobley, per ESPN. “That was the main thing that I can be happy about. I feel like we didn’t start the best. That was the main thing that really shot us in our foot, but overall, I feel like we played a pretty good game.
“I think it was a good test, and from what I saw out there, we could beat anybody.”
Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell finished with a game-high 35 points to go with eight rebounds, while Mobley added 22 points, 11 rebounds and six assists.
The result means both teams are 1-1 in the NBA Cup, which concludes with the semifinals and final in Las Vegas in December.
NBA Cup games also count towards teams’ regular season records.
Russell Westbrook racked up a milestone 200th career-triple double in the Denver Nuggets’ 122-110 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday.
The 36-year-old is the NBA’s all-time leader in triple-doubles and is now 19 ahead of Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson in second place.
Westbrook finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists, helping to fend off a late surge from the Grizzlies.
“It’s a blessing,” Westbrook said of reaching the milestone, per AP. “I’m truly grateful to be able to play the game to do that. But I’m also appreciative of the ones who came before me.
“Anytime we win and I get them (triple-doubles), I’m always grateful for that. It’s my favorite time.”
Without three-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokić for a third straight game due to personal reasons, Denver was led by Jamal Murray who finished with 27 points, four rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks.
Michael Porter Jr. added 24 points and 11 rebounds.
Santi Aldama had a team-high 28 points to go with 11 rebounds for the Grizzlies, who are still without the injured Ja Morant.
The Nuggets are now 1-1 in the NBA Cup standings, while the Grizzlies are 0-2.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Dalton Knecht tied the NBA rookie record for three-pointers made in a game, sinking nine from behind the arc en route to a career-high 37 points.
Knecht led the Lakers to a 124-118 victory over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday, the team’s sixth straight win and best run since February 2021, per AP.
The rookie’s performances this season left superstar LeBron James wondering how Knecht fell to No. 17 in the 2024 NBA Draft.
“They didn’t ‘find’ DK,” James said of the Lakers’ scouting department, per ESPN. “The other 16 teams f**ked it up. Did anybody watch him? Sh*t. They just didn’t f**k it up. You don’t ‘find’ an SEC Player of the Year.”
Rodrigue Beaubois (2010), Yogi Ferrell (2017) and Keyonte George (2024) are the other three rookies to hit nine threes in a game.
The Lakers, the NBA Cup defending champions, improve to 2-0 while the Jazz fall to 0-2.
Away team @ home team (winners in bold)
Cleveland Cavaliers 117-120 Boston Celtics
Denver Nuggets 122-110 Memphis Grizzlies
Utah Jazz 118-124 Los Angeles Lakers
Charlotte Hornets 115-116 Brooklyn Nets
New Orleans Pelicans 91-132 Dallas Mavericks
Oklahoma City Thunder 104-110 San Antonio Spurs
