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The Cleveland Cavaliers’ 15-match winning run came to an end in a thrilling 120-117 defeat by the Boston Celtics in the NBA Cup at TD Garden.
The Cavaliers became just the fourth franchise in NBA history to go 15-0 at the start of a campaign by beating the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday.
But six Celtics players, led by Jayson Tatum’s 33 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists, reached double figures to inflict a first defeat on the Cavs.
Trailing by 17 points at half-time, the Cavaliers mounted a spirited comeback through Evan Mobley, who finished with 22 points, 11 rebounds and six assists.
It helped them to make it a two-point game midway through the final quarter but the Celtics held out.
“Everybody knew that they were undefeated and coming to our building,” said Celtics’ guard Derrick White.
“And it’s an NBA Cup game, and we already lost one. So, it was a really big game in that aspect. We were all aware.”
The Los Angeles Lakers extended their own winning streak to six games with a 124-118 victory over the Utah Jazz.
Dalton Knecht, 17th pick in the 2024 draft, scored a career-high 37 points.
The 23-year-old matched a rookie record by hitting nine three-pointers in the victory.
Elsewhere, the Denver Nuggets beat the Memphis Grizzlies 122-110, while the Dallas Mavericks crushed the New Orleans Pelicans 132-91.
The NBA Cup, launched in 2023 and won by the LA Lakers, counts towards regular-season standings but not the Championship, which sits outside the regular season.
