Celtics terminate the Cavaliers’ perfect start

NBA NOTES

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Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome tries to score over Boston Celtics center Al Horford during the second half of Tuesday’s NBA Cup game in Boston. The Celtics won, handing the Cavs their first loss after a 15-0 start. Charles Krupa / The associated press

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The Associated Press

The defending NBA champions held off the league’s hottest team on Tuesday night, with Jayson Tatum scoring 33 points and adding 12 rebounds to lead the Boston Celtics to a 120-117 victory over Cleveland and hand the Cavaliers their first loss after 15 straight wins to open the season.

Cleveland cut a 21-point deficit to two in the third quarter, and Donovan Mitchell hit a rainbow 3-pointer with 24 seconds left to make it a four-point game. Tatum sank one of two free throws, and then clobbered Mitchell at the other end, leaving the Cavaliers guard on the floor in need of medical attention.

Mitchell eventually stepped to the line and sank both free throws, but Boston inbounded the ball without trouble and passed it downcourt for an easy Al Horford dunk to clinch it.

Tatum sank six of Boston’s 22 3-pointers, and added seven assists for Boston’s third straight win.

Mitchell scored 35 points, and Evan Mobley had 22 points and 11 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who were the fourth team in NBA history to open the season with 15 wins in a row. The 15-game winning streak was longest in Cavaliers franchise history.

“This was a great test for us, and unfortunately we didn’t get the win,” Mitchell said.

“It’s definitely a measuring stick. You want to see where you’re at, but not hold too much weight on it. ... We’re not going to be the same team now that we are in April.”

ROOKIE LEADS LAKERS

Dalton Knecht tied the NBA’s single-game rookie record with nine 3-pointers while scoring a career-high 37 points, and the Lakers beat Utah 124-118 on Tuesday night for their sixth consecutive victory.

LeBron James had 26 points and 12 assists, and Anthony Davis had 26 points and 14 rebounds as the Lakers improved to 7-0 at home. Austin Reaves added 17 points for the defending NBA Cup champions, who improved to 2-0 in group play this season.

The Lakers hadn’t won six straight games since February 2021, shortly after their championship run in the Florida bubble.

Lauri Markkanen scored 25 points for the Jazz, who have lost three straight.

200TH TRIPLE-DOUBLE

Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook posted the 200th triple-double of his career on Tuesday night in a win over Memphis.

The NBA recordholder for triple-doubles reached the milestone late in a 122-110 victory.

The 36-year-old Westbrook finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists, and it took him until the final minutes to accomplish the feat.

With 1:28 left, Westbrook was one rebound shy of the triple-double when center Dario Saric missed a 3-pointer. Westbrook grabbed his only offensive rebound of the game.

With the Grizzlies still threatening, Saric knocked down a 3-pointer with 27.7 seconds left to preserve the Denver win.

Westbrook said he wasn’t thanking Saric for the miss that led to the triple-double.

“I thank him for making the next one to close the game, which is the most important,” he said.

Westbrook is 19 triple-doubles ahead of Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson, and 62 in front of Magic Johnson. His teammate — Nikola Jokic — is fourth with 136, followed by LeBron James at 117.

“It’s a blessing,” Westbrook said of reaching the milestone. “I’m truly grateful to be able to play the game (well enough) to do that. But I’m also appreciative of the ones who came before me.”