The defending NBA champions held off the league’s hottest team, 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.

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 Cleveland Cavaliers entered the TD Garden with the second-longest winning streak to start a season in NBA history. However, that streak ended at 15 games with their 120-117 loss to the Boston Celtics.

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

Jaylen Brown top scored with 31 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics struggled to a 108-96 win at Washington in the NBA Cup on

The Cleveland Cavaliers' 15-game season-opening win streak came to an end in TD Garden on Tuesday night, when the club was forced to do battle with the mighty B