Celtics hand Cavaliers first loss of season, ending Cleveland’s 15-0 start

BOSTON (AP) — This one wasn’t about their perfect season, or a 15-game winning streak, or even the NBA Cup.

It was an opportunity for the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers to see where they stood against the defending champions.

“It was a great test for us, and unfortunately we didn’t get the victory.” said Donovan Mitchell, whose 35 points couldn’t prevent the Cavaliers from suffering their first defeat of the season, 120-117 for the Boston Celtics Tuesday evening.

“It’s definitely a measuring stick,” said Mitchell, who scored 18 points in the fourth quarter, including Cleveland’s 14 straight points in the final four minutes. You want to see where you are, but without putting too much weight on it. … We’re not going to be the same team now as we were in April.

The Celtics won an unprecedented 18th championship last spring – defeating the Cavaliers in five games in the Eastern Conference semifinals – and entered the season as favorites to repeat, or at least return to the NBA Finals . Cleveland, which won a playoff series last year for the first time since LeBron James left for the second time in 2018, was not expected to be a contender.

But it was the Cavaliers who rose to the top of the standings this fall, with a franchise-record 15-game winning streak that left them as the last undefeated team in the league. Coach Kenny Atkinson was the first NBA coach to win his first 15 games with a new team.

“You want to be part of history in that regard. But that’s a thing of the past. It’s over. And, you know, it was a good race. Mitchell said. “It was fun. When you play basketball, good basketball, and obviously win games – whether it’s blowouts, close games, come-from-behind wins – you enjoy those moments.

“It’s great to be part of history. We would have liked to continue like this. But like I said, there is no championship in November.

The Celtics used a barrage of 3-pointers Tuesday night to open a 21-point lead, then saw the Cavs cut it to two in the third quarter. Cleveland trailed by nine, 114-105, with 90 seconds left before Mitchell hit a floater and then another layup to cut the deficit to five points.

With Boston leading 117-110 and with 25 seconds left, Mitchell hit a rainbow 3-pointer to make it a four-point game. After Jayson Tatum, who scored 33, made one of two free throws, the Celtics star knocked down Mitchell as he went for a steal.

Mitchell remained on the court for a few minutes, but the play was not reviewed to determine if it was a potential flagrant foul that would give the Cavaliers a pair of free throws and the ball.

“I was just praying to God that I didn’t get a concussion. That’s my only thing,” said Mitchell, who watched the play again after the game and didn’t think it should have been considered a flagrant foul. “It was a ball game. He has bony shoulders. So I hit him on the shoulder, and that’s it.

Atkinson blamed himself for not having an answer for a Celtics team that made 14 of 22 3-pointers in the first half to open a 17-point lead. And he praised his team for erasing almost all of that deficit in the third quarter.

“They shot at him” » said Atkinson. “That big second quarter was too difficult to overcome. In the second half, we raised the tone, but it was a little too late.

And the coach was already looking ahead to their next match, in Cleveland on December 1st.

“They are so good. We showed resistance in the second half, but… we can improve a lot,” he said. “We will have another chance against them soon.”