Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics finally got the better of the Cleveland Cavaliers, as they earned their first win in three tries this season versus Donovan Mitchell and company Wednesday night at home, 117-113.

Jayson Tatum, eager to recover from a lackluster performance in a previous loss to the New York Knicks, made sure to show up in his top form against the Cavs, as he exploded for 41 points on 13-for-21 shooting from the field and 4-for-6 from deep. But another reason for his splendid offensive night was the mere presence of Donovan Mitchell on the floor, as Tatum was also bent on winning his individual duel versus the Cavs star.

“As a competitor you just love those moments, those matchups,” Jayson Tatum said during the postgame press conference.

Donovan Mitchell had a night himself, finishing with a game-high 44 points on 32 field-goal attempts. He caught fire in the third period in which he scored 19 of his total points. In the fourth, the Cavs staged a furious rally, with Mitchell and Darius Garland combining for 25 points of Cleveland's points in that period. But the Celtics ultimately snuffed that comeback attempt, even though Jayson Tatum was only able to score six points in the final quarter.

It was an extremely entertaining battle between Tatum and Mitchell, who were teammates not too long ago during the 2023 NBA All-Star Game. Tatum claimed the All-Star MVP honors with a 55-point performance for Team Giannis while Mitchell dropped 40 points.

The Celtics and the Cavs will meet one more time this regular season on Mar. 6 in Cleveland.