The Cleveland Cavaliers’ undefeated streak is alive and well.
Donovan Mitchell and the Cavaliers flew ahead in the fourth quarter on Monday night at the United Center to beat the Chicago Bulls 119-113. This pushed them to a perfect 12-0 record on the season.
The Cavaliers, who are the last undefeated team left standing in the NBA this season, are now just the seventh team to start 12-0 or better in league history. It’s already the best start in franchise history, and the best start to a season since the Golden State Warriors opened the 2015-16 campaign with 24 straight wins. The Cavaliers, led by LeBron James, beat the Warriors in the NBA Finals that season.
Mitchell broke out in the first half, which kept Cleveland in step with the Bulls after all five of their starters hit double figures in the first 24 minutes. Mitchell had 25 points in the first half on five 3-pointers, and he pulled off a wild 360-degree layup flying through the middle of the lane in the middle of the second quarter.
Although the Bulls pushed ahead in the third quarter and jumped out to a nine-point lead after a pair of Ayo Dosunmu free throws late in the period, the Cavaliers went on an 11-2 run to tie the game almost immediately. The Cavs held Chicago to just two field goals, easy floaters by both Dalen Terry and Josh Giddey, also in the final six minutes of the quarter. That pushed Cleveland to a 3-point lead entering the fourth quarter.
While the Bulls tied the game again midway through the final period on a fadeaway mid-range jumper by Zach LaVine, the Cavaliers turned it on right away. Evan Mobley threw down an easy alley-oop and then Donovan Mitchell fell on a fast-break layup off a Ty Jerome steal just seconds later. That quickly turned into a 9-2 run, which was enough to keep the Knights a step ahead the rest of the way and allow them to close out the six-point victory.
Mitchell finished with 36 points and eight rebounds, and he shot 7-of-16 from behind the arc. Darius Garland added 17 points and five assists, and Evan Mobley finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
LaVine led the Bulls with 26 points and six rebounds. Nikola Vucevic finished with 20 points and eight rebounds, and Coby White added 20 points with five 3-pointers. The Bulls had 20 turnovers as a team, too, which the Cavaliers turned into 35 points.
The Cavaliers will face the Philadelphia 76ers next Wednesday. A win there would equal the longest winning streak in team history. While they are sure to drop a game later, Mitchell and the Cavaliers look like real contenders in the Eastern Conference through the first few weeks of the season.
