Celtics' hot shooting ends Cavaliers' unbeaten streak - ESPN

BOSTON — Before the Cleveland Cavaliers put their perfect 15-0 start to the season to the test Tuesday night at TD Garden against the defending NBA champion Celtics, Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson was asked what he hoped to get out of the game.

«We want feedback,» Atkinson said. «More feedback. Hopefully we'll see this team down the road and down the road in an important game. On the other hand, I don't want to blow this game out of proportion. It's that balance, but it's more anxious to see where we are. And we all know our schedule has not been the hardest.

»We're playing an elite team — the top team in the league. So I just can't wait to get some feedback from the game."

Over the next 48 minutes, Atkinson got his wish. The result? Boston, despite a stellar push from Cleveland after halftime, had enough to hold off the Cavaliers 120-117, ending Cleveland's unblemished start.

The loss left the Cavaliers tied for the second-longest winning streak to begin a season in NBA history — though undoubtedly earning Cleveland some respect in the process.

Respect, however, doesn't always translate to wins. And after spending almost a month with a zero in the loss column, Cleveland now has a number there thanks to a 33-point, 12-rebound, 7-assist effort from Jayson Tatum, one of six Celtics to score in double figures.

Boston went white-hot from beyond the 3-point arc, going 22-for-41 from deep, as the Celtics — who led by as many as 21 — held off a charge from Cleveland in the second half as the Cavaliers pounded away in the paint.

If these teams meet again in the playoffs next spring — as they did in the Eastern Conference semifinals last season — the matchup probably will be one split along the same battle lines as Tuesday with