Jaylen Brown went for 37 points, but the Boston Celtics still fell to the Atlanta Hawks 117-116 to open the NBA Cup.

The Hawks claimed a hard-fought 117-116 win against the Celtics in Game 1 of the Emirates NBA Cup's group play. Read more on Boston.com.

Facing an undermanned and seemingly overmatched Atlanta team, Boston played one of its sloppiest games of this season, coughing up the ball time and again and struggling to establish any real rhythm.

Jalen Johnson had 18 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists and three steals to lead the visiting Atlanta Hawks to a 117-116 victory over the Boston Celtics on Tuesday in the first NBA Cup game for each team.

Coming into this matchup, the Hawks really needed a win in order to get back on track after two disappointing losses against the Pistons and Bulls respectively.

The 9-2 Boston Celtics opened up their NBA Cup, aiming for a three-game winning streak on Tuesday November 12th, when they face the visiting 4-7 Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks start the NBA Cup without leading scorer Trae Young due to right Achilles tendinitis,

Jayson Tatum delivered 31 points and 12 rebounds to spark the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics over Milwaukee 113-107 on Sunday despite Giannis Antetokounmpo's 43-point performance for the Bucks.