Some losses hurt more than others, and Tuesday night's 120-117 defeat to the Boston Celtics was extra painful for Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell. The five-time All-Star drew one of the hardest fouls in recent memory as he dribbled past half court with the final seconds of the game winding down.

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum led with his shoulder and hit Mitchell in the face, causing the latter hooper to fall to the ground in pain, via X (formerly known as “Twitter”) user @TedBuddy8.

Tatum didn't have malicious intent, as he was trying to steal the ball. However, the 2024 NBA champion was lucky to not be called for a flagrant.

Social media went wild with memes and jokes after the brutal play. @CelticsAdam34 compared it to a similar type of NFL hit.

@HoopinGuru trolled Cleveland fans with a GIF of their own.

Meanwhile, Cavaliers fans weren't pleased. @thedawgspodcast didn't mince words.

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“F**k Tatum. Whiny bi**h, then just runs into Mitchell,” the user said.

“Mitchell's mouth is bleeding & Tatum is laughing,” @BurdsIVue said. “i hate this team so much.”

Regardless, Cleveland is no longer undefeated, thanks in large part to Tatum's 33-point, 12-rebound performance.

Celtics are still team to beat in Eastern Conference

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) defends Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) during the first half at TD Garden.
Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

While the Cavaliers still own the NBA's best record at 15-1, Tuesday night was a reminder of who is truly at the top of the totem pole. Cleveland did well to cut a 21-point deficit to two in the third quarter, but Boston's combination of top-end talent and depth is on a different level.

The Celtics had three other players besides Tatum score at least 17 points and shot a blistering 22-41 (53.7%) from long range as a team while holding the Cavaliers to 10-29 (34.5%). Now at 12-3 and just 2.5 games out of the Eastern Conference's top seed, Boston has once again put the league on notice after its dominant championship run last season.