The streaking Cleveland Cavaliers tested themselves against the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics and came away with a loss — and a lot to work on.

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 Cavaliers will put their perfect start on the line in the perfect place.

Darius Garland scored 25 points, Ty Jerome matched his career-high with 24 in place of Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers stayed unbeaten with a 128-114 win over the Charlotte Hornets.

The floor and ball both looked different.

Donovan Mitchell scored a season-high 37 points, Darius Garland had 29 and the Cleveland Cavaliers continued one of the best starts in league history, improving to 14-0 with a 144-126 win over the Chicago Bulls in an NBA Cup game.

Donovan Mitchell scored a season-high 36 points, and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Chicago Bulls 119-113 to become the eighth NBA team to begin a season with 12 straight wins.

Evan Mobley had 23 points and 16 rebounds, and Donovan Mitchell scored 22 as the Cleveland Cavaliers rallied for a 105-100 win over the Brooklyn Nets, becoming the 12th team in NBA history to start a season 11-0.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are returning home in rare air.

Donovan Mitchell scored 29 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 131-122 to open 9-0 for the first time in their 55-year NBA history.

Darius Garland scored 39 points, Evan Mobley added 17 and the Cleveland Cavaliers improved to 8-0 with a 116-114 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, wo played without injured superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Darius Garland scored 25 points, Donovan Mitchell added 22 and the Cleveland Cavaliers improved to 6-0 with a 120-109 victory over the Orlando Magic, who played their first game without injured star Paolo Banchero.

A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen has agreed to a three-year, $91 million contract extension with Cleveland.

A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that the Cleveland Cavaliers and forward Evan Mobley have agreed to a five-year, $224 million contract extension.

A person familiar with the decision says All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell has agreed to a three-year, $150.3 million contract extension with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

A person familiar with the meeting tells The Associated Press that the Cleveland Cavaliers will interview Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori for their head coaching vacancy in the next few days.

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So much about the journey the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers have taken to the Eastern Conference finals has been about who – they haven’t had to face to get to here.

The Celtics are back in the Eastern Conference finals for the third consecutive season following their 4-1 series victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Jayson Tatum had 25 points and 10 rebounds, and the Boston Celtics beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 113-98 on to advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the third straight season.

The Cleveland Cavaliers will try to extend their season without star Donovan Mitchell and Caris LeVert, who were both ruled out prior to Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semifinals matchup with Boston.

Jayson Tatum scored 33 points with LeBron James watching from a courtside seat and the Boston Celtics beat the severely short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers 109-102 in Game 4 to take a commanding 3-1 lead in their East semifinal series.

Cavaliers star guard Donovan Mitchell missed Game 4 against the Boston Celtics on Monday with a left calf injury, a devastating loss that will make it even tougher for Cleveland to get back in the series.

Donovan Mitchell did his part for the Cavaliers.

Jayson Tatum scored 33 points, Jaylen Brown added 28 and the Boston Celtics looked more like themselves after stumbling at home, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 106-93 in Game 3 to take a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Donovan Mitchell scored 29 points and Evan Mobley had 21 points and 10 rebounds to help the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the top-seeded Boston Celtics 118-94 and tie their second-round playoff series at one game apiece.

Jaylen Brown scored 32 points and the Boston Celtics powered past the Cleveland Cavaliers 120-95 in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series.

It took Donovan Mitchell’s magnificence, a historic comeback and plenty of grit for the Cavaliers to escape the first round.

Paolo Banchero’s first taste of the NBA playoffs ended bitterly.

Donovan Mitchell scored 39 points, Caris LeVert added 15 and the Cleveland Cavaliers avoided a potentially franchise-shifting loss by rallying for a 106-94 win over the Orlando Magic in Game 7.

The Cavs and Magic are going to the limit.

Donovan Mitchell went for 50 points on Orlando Magic, but it wasn't enough to help the Cleveland Cavaliers close out the first-round NBA playoff series between the teams.

Paolo Banchero scored 10 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter, helping the Orlando Magic hold off the Cleveland Cavaliers 103-96 and force a decisive Game 7 in the their first-round NBA playoff series.

The Orlando Magic desperately want an opportunity to go back on the road.

Donovan Mitchell scored 28 points, Evan Mobley blocked Franz Wagner’s layup in the final seconds and the Cleveland Cavaliers survived a scare from Orlando, holding off Paolo Banchero and the Magic 104-103 in Game 5.

Perhaps neither Milwaukee nor Philadelphia would’ve been good enough to beat a Boston team that ran away to the NBA’s best record.

Franz Wagner had 34 points and 13 rebounds, and the Orlando Magic held the Cleveland Cavaliers scoreless for a second-half stretch of almost seven minutes Saturday in a 112-89 victory that tied the Eastern Conference first-round series at 2-2.

Jalen Suggs made a stunning comeback for Orlando in Game 2.

Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid are the NBA’s main men in the middle, the two centers combining for the last three MVP awards in the regular season with perhaps another coming soon.

Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points, Jarrett Allen had 18 reounds and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Orlando Magic 97-83 in Game 1 of their playoff series.

The Cavaliers have waited a year to redeem themselves in the NBA playoffs.

Nick Smith Jr. scored a season-high 24 points and Steve Clifford won his coaching farewell as the Charlotte Hornets rallied to beat the playoff-bound Cleveland Cavaliers 120-110.

Donovan Mitchell is back and not a moment too soon for the Cavaliers.

Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert believes All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell will sign a long-term contract to chase an NBA championship with Cleveland.

Cavaliers All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell could miss at least another week after breaking his nose in Cleveland’s loss at Houston last weekend.

Dean Wade made five 3-pointers and scored 20 points in the fourth quarter, and Cleveland won a replay review in the final second to stun Boston 105-104, ending the NBA-leading Celtics’ winning streak at 11 games.

Max Strus drilled a 59-footer as time expired, his fifth made 3-pointer in the final four minutes, to give the Cleveland Cavaliers a wild 121-119 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night.

Defense wasn’t really played in the All-Star Game, which explains why the Eastern Conference scored a record 211 points and the game saw nearly 400 points combined on Sunday night.

The NBA wanted more competition.

Donovan Mitchell scored 31 points, Evan Mobley had 28 points and 10 rebounds and the Cleveland Cavaliers routed the San Antonio Spurs 117-101 on Saturday night.

Donovan Mitchell scored a season-high 45 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Brooklyn Nets 111-102 on Thursday in the NBA’s third regular-season game in Paris.

Spurs forward-center Victor Wembanyama is the odds-on favorite to win the 2023-24 NBA Rookie of the Year Award, and so far, he’s leading the rookie class.

A sculpture commemorating the famous 1967 meeting of Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown and other athletes — now known as the Ali Summit — has been unveiled on the site of the original gathering.

Kevin Durant just got done with his summer vacation.

New St. John’s coach Rick Pitino has thrown out a ceremonial first pitch at the Subway Series between the New York Yankees and New York Mets.

Denver’s Nikola Jokic now knows how Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid felt during two previous NBA award seasons.

Jalen Brunson scored 23 points, RJ Barrett added 21 and the New York Knicks beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 106-95 in Game 5 to advance to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs for the first time since 2013.

Jalen Brunson scored 21 points, RJ Barrett broke out of a slump with 19 and the New York Knicks rolled to a 2-1 lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first-round playoff series with a 99-79 victory.

Darius Garland scored 32 points, 26 while setting an aggressive tone for Cleveland in the first half, and the Cavaliers evened their Eastern Conference playoff series against New York at one game apiece with a 107-90 victory over the Knicks.

Jalen Brunson shook off foul trouble and scored 21 of his 27 in the second half, and Julius Randle returned from an ankle injury to add 19 as the New York Knicks welcomed Cleveland back to the NBA playoffs by holding off the Cavaliers 101-97 in Game 1.

The NBA regular season had no shortage of moments that stood out.

De’Aaron Fox had 18 points and the Sacramento Kings clinched their first playoff berth since 2006 with a 120-80 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.

Joel Embiid had 36 points and 18 rebounds and played the final 4:12 after initially being called for his sixth foul, leading the Philadelphia 76ers to their sixth straight victory, 118-109 over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night.

Damian Lillard set franchise and career highs with 71 points which tied for the most in the NBA this season and 13 3-pointers and the Portland Trail Blazers snapped a two-game losing streak with a 131-114 victory over the Houston Rockets.

There are six teams in the NBA that look pretty comfortably in playoff position.

Nikola Jokic might be on the cusp of entering some highly exclusive clubs.

Jayson Tatum put on a record-setting show, and made Giannis Antetokounmpo look like a genius.

The 72nd NBA All-Star Game takes place Sunday night in Salt Lake City.

Salt Lake City’s hosting of this weekend’s NBA All-Star game for the first time in three decades is giving Utah another opportunity to try to change long-held notions that the state is odd or peculiar.

If so inclined, and if fellow captain LeBron James was to cooperate with his own selections, Giannis Antetokounmpo could pick Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid and Lauri Markkanen to play on his team Sunday night.

Donovan Mitchell scored 41 points and led the Cleveland Cavaliers to their seventh straight win, 117-109 over the nose-diving San Antonio Spurs, who matched a team record with their 13th consecutive loss.

A fight broke out and punches were thrown during the game between the Orlando Magic and Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night.

Darius Garland scored 32 points shortly after being left off the All-Star team and carried Cleveland following Donovan Mitchell’s ejection, leading the Cavaliers to a 128-113 win over the slumping Memphis Grizzlies.

Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell was ejected in the third quarter against Memphis for throwing the ball at Grizzlies guard Dillon Brooks after the players tangled under the basket.

Damian Lillard scored a season-high 60 points, hitting nine 3-pointers, and the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Utah Jazz 134-124 on Wednesday night.

Donovan Mitchell had 46 points in his return to Utah, but the Jazz rallied late behind Jordan Clarkson to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 116-114.

Donovan Mitchell sent the best game of his career to overtime with an incredible play.

In a season where big numbers have become the norm, Cleveland's Donovan Mitchell put up the biggest numbers of all Monday night.

Donovan Mitchell scored an NBA season-high and franchise-record 71 points -- equaling the eighth-most in a game in history -- as the Cleveland Cavaliers rallied from 21 down to beat the Chicago Bulls 145-134 in overtime.

Donovan Mitchell scored 36 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers finally put together a complete game against Milwaukee, withstanding superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo’s season-high 45-point performance to beat the Bucks 114-106 on Wednesday night.

Keldon Johnson scored 21 points and blocked a late shot by Donovan Mitchell as the San Antonio Spurs held off the Cleveland Cavaliers 112-111.

Anthony Edwards scored 25 points, D’Angelo Russell had 19 and the Minnesota Timberwolves survived a late scare and won their third straight game, 112-109 over the undermanned Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night.

D’Angelo Russell had season highs of 30 points and 12 assists, Karl-Anthony Towns scored 29 points, and the Minnesota Timberwolves held off the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers 129-124.

Donovan Mitchell scored 33 points and Darius Garland added 24 in the dynamic Cleveland backcourt’s return from injury absences, and the Cavaliers rolled past LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers 114-100 for their eighth consecutive victory.

Lauri Markkanen had 27 points and 12 rebounds, Jordan Clarkson added 20 points and the Utah Jazz continued their remarkable start to the season with a 130-116 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Darius Garland scored 29 points in his return after missing five games with an ugly eye injury and Donovan Mitchell added 25, leading Cleveland to a 114-113 overtime win over Boston.

Jacoby Brissett threw two touchdown passes, Nick Chubb ran for a score and the Cleveland Browns bounced back from their epic meltdown four days earlier to beat the rival Pittsburgh Steelers 29-17.

The Cavaliers are back in the Eastern Conference title hunt.

A person familiar with the trade tells AP the Cleveland Cavaliers have agreed to acquire All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell in a blockbuster trade with the Utah Jazz.

The moves in the NBA right now are big and bold.

Rudy Gobert has been traded by the Utah Jazz to the Minnesota Timberwolves for a massive package of players and draft picks, a person with knowledge of the blockbuster deal said.

As the Utah Jazz spent time talking to candidates to become their next coach, Will Hardy quickly rose to the top of their list.

Quin Snyder resigned Sunday as coach of the Utah Jazz, ending an eight-year run where the team won nearly 60% of its games but never got past the second round of the playoffs.

Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson each scored 24 points and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Utah Jazz 98-96 on Thursday night in Game 6 to wrap up the first-round series.

The Philadelphia 76ers were up 3-0 in their series against the Toronto Raptors just a few days ago.

Luka Doncic had 33 points and 13 rebounds in his first home playoff game coming off a calf injury and the Dallas Mavericks routed the Utah Jazz 102-77 for a 3-2 lead in their first-round playoff series.

Rudy Gobert gave Utah the lead with an alley-oop dunk with 11.0 seconds left and the Jazz held off the Dallas Mavericks 100-99 on Saturday in Game 4 to tie the first-round series.

Scoring has rarely looked so difficult for Kevin Durant.

Jalen Brunson scored 31 points playing with a bruised back and the Dallas Mavericks — without the injured Luka Doncic — beat the Utah Jazz 126-118 on Thursday night to take a 2-1 lead in the first-round playoff series.