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.

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

Brown scored a season-high 37 points and Derrick White added 31 for Boston as it opened the in-season tournament on a green floor with a special parquet design. The defending NBA champions had a two-game winning streak snapped and lost for just the third time this season.

Before the opening night of the NBA Cup begins, Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla was asked what he would change about the format. Already having gone under plenty of change in 2024 from the debut season last year, Mazzulla said the biggest change he wishes for the Emirates NBA Cup would be to separate it from the 82-game regular season.

The Boston Celtics opened the 2024 NBA Cup with a home tilt against the Atlanta Hawks. This marked the first of four regular season games Boston will play in the month of November that count toward Group Play for the annual tournament.