The first loss of the season has come; the streak is over. The Cleveland Cavaliers, after starting the season 15-0, are now 15-1.
That loss didn't come easy, either, as it took the defending champions playing on their homecourt against a Cleveland team missing four rotation players to shatter the undefeated streak. In the end, though, the Boston Celtics did win, pulling out the 120-117 victory.
The Celtics got out to a hot start, raining down 3-pointers and setting a franchise record for the best 3-point shooting half, hitting 15 3-pointers in the first half to take a 17-point lead into the break. Then the Cavaliers fought back, dominating the paint in the second half and coming within two points multiple times. In the end, the Celtics had just enough to secure the 3-point win.
Jayson Tatum had 33 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists to lead the Celtics, and Al Horford contributed 20 points of his own, including 4-for-5 from 3-point range. Boston ended the night 22-for-41 from deep, good for 53.7 percent.
Who stood out for the Cavaliers? Let's look at the "heroes and zeroes" from a hard-fought loss in the NBA Cup on Tuesday night.
Evan Mobley was a Hero
We'll start with the star of the night - not Donovan Mitchell, who did battle his way to 35 points but took 29 shots to get there and took a number of ill-advised, contested jumpers - but rather Evan Mobley, who was the Cavaliers' best player on Tuesday night.
Mobley led the charge in the third quarter that trimmed the Celtics' 17-point halftime lead to five. He was unstoppable in the paint, finishing over and through hapless Boston defenders. He finished the night with 22 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, serving as the hub to the offense for long stretches as Mitchell and Darius Garland struggled to hit shots.
Defensively, the Celtics put a lot of stress on a defense, as they are either playing a 5-out lineup with Al Horford on the perimeter or 4-out with a rim-running lob threat in Neemias Queta. Mobley was the best player on the team in rotating into the paint and then sprinting to the perimeter, and without him the damage would have been much worse.
Darius Garland was a Zero
From the best to the worst, we have to acknowledge the terrible game that Darius Garland had. Coming into the matchup he was one of the best guards in the East, but against the combined powers of Jrue Holiday and Derrick White he was flummoxed, and his shot wasn't falling even when he sprung free.
Garland finished the game 3-for-21 from the field, including an ice-cold 0-for-6 from 3-point range. He couldn't hit pull-up jumpers, catch-and-shoot triples or finish inside against the size of Boston. Some nights you just don't have it, and Tuesday Garland looked like he got zapped by the Mon-Stars.
To his credit, he limited the damage overall by still pushing in transition and diming up teammates, finishing with seven assists and just two turnovers. Garland battled on defense and even snagged a block in the paint. Overall, however, his shooting was so bad it doomed the Cavaliers and prevented their comeback from making it all the way.
Sam Merrill was a Hero
No Max Strus. No Dean Wade. No Isaac Okoro. No Caris LeVert.
With the Cavaliers missing all three of their "small forwards" and their best two-way combo forward in Dean Wade, it fell to 6'4" Sam Merrill to start at small forward against the team with the best forwards in the entire league. The relatively unathletic and short-armed Merrill was tasked with defending Finals MVP Jaylen Brown.
And to his credit, Merrill was not a pushover in that defensive assignment. While Cleveland was active in shading help his way, often to their detriment as the ball swung and found the open shooter, when Merrill was forced to defend one-on-one in isolation he largely held his own. Multiple times he was on an island against Brown and forced a missed shot.
Now add in that Merrill's floor-spacing was vital to Cleveland's offensive attack, and that he hit a pair of crucial 3-pointers early in the third quarter as the Cavaliers stood on the edge of a knife, balanced between "comeback" and "blowout", and it was Merrill's shots that tipped them back into comeback. He only played 19 minutes, but he did everything that was asked of him.
Jarrett Allen was a Zero
This is a contextual condemnation of Allen, who was his usual strong self inside and finished the game 5-for-6 from the field for 10 points and 11 rebounds. But for what the Cavaliers needed of him on Tuesday, Allen wasn't able to provide it.
The insane shooting ability of the Celtics' rotation means that opposing bigs need to be able to hedge or help inside and then rotate back out to shooters in a flash; Evan Mobley wasn't perfect but largely has the ability to do so. Allen, while he can hold up on a switch on the perimeter fairly well, was unable to adequately provide help defense and get home to his man, often Al Horford bombing away from outside.
When you add in that Allen and Mobley together just don't provide modern spacing, and that head coach Kenny Atkinson again closed without Allen (playing Georges Niang over him!) it's clear that Allen's limitations place him down the pecking order in closing lineups, and those limitations were on display on Tuesday. Allen finished a game-worst -16 for the game.
Ty Jerome was a Hero
One of the breakout "stars" of the season, Ty Jerome once again put in a solid effort. He shot 4-for-5 from the field, hitting a few tough shots in a crowded paint, and chipped in five assists. He was the closing small forward, stepping in for Sam Merrill, and finished with a +12 mark for the night as he was a part of the Mobley-led lineup that made the charge in the third quarter.
Georges Niang was a Zero
Looking at the box score, it appears that Georges Niang had a great night. He scored 11 points on 5-for-8 shooting, he had four rebounds and three assists, and finished +15 on the night.
In one sense, Niang was desperately needed as a forward-sized player who could space the court. He played that role well, and even closed for the team at the 4, playing a gargantuan-for-him 30 minutes.
Yet Niang was also a defensive target at all times while out on the court. He is one of the slowest defenders in the league recovering to shooters or making rotations, and the Celtics feasted on that. Cleveland was continually needing to shade help his way, and he completely lose Jrue Holiday on an out-of-bounds play to a backcut.
Because of the lack of alternatives, Niang was called upon, and his shooting ability helped make the Evan-Mobley-led-charge possible, boosting Niang's plus/minus. But on tape, Niang was a problem on Tuesday night.
Craig Porter Jr. was a Hero
Finally, we highlight the contributions of Craig Porter Jr., the second-year undrafted point guard who stepped into a major role in the absences of Caris LeVert and Isaac Okoro.
Porter played 25 minutes and finished a tidy 6-for-8 from the field, including 3-for-3 from long range. He was Evan Mobley's wingman during that third quarter charge and played a number of fourth quarter minutes as well. Defensively he was the Cavs' best backcourt option, locking up a variety of players. These sorts of moments are battle-testing the team's reserve players, and Porter Jr. stepped up to the challenge on Tuesday night.