Donovan Mitchell scored a season-high 36 points, and Evan Mobley recorded a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, helping the Cleveland Cavaliers stay undefeated with a 119-113 win over the Chicago Bulls on Monday.
Cleveland continued its best start in franchise history, winning all 12 of its games so far. The Cavaliers were down by nine points in the third quarter but managed to rally and secure the victory, keeping head coach Kenny Atkinson’s record perfect in his first season with the team.
Mitchell made seven 3-pointers and grabbed eight rebounds. Despite shooting 49.4 percent from the field, the Bulls committed 21 turnovers, which allowed the Cavaliers to score 35 points off those mistakes.
With 5:06 remaining, Zach LaVine hit a turnaround fadeaway jumper to tie the game at 106. However, Cleveland scored 13 of the last 20 points to close out the game.
LaVine led the Bulls with 26 points, while Coby White and Nikola Vucevic each scored 20. Josh Giddey had 18 points, Patrick Williams added 13, and Ayo Dosunmu contributed 10.
Williams also had 10 rebounds for a double-double, while Giddey finished with eight rebounds and seven assists.
Darius Garland scored 17 points for Cleveland, and Georges Niang, Ty Jerome, and Caris LeVert each added 12 points.
The Bulls’ largest lead came at 85-76 after Dosunmu made two free throws with 4:26 left in the third quarter. But Cleveland responded with nine straight points to tie the game. Another pair of Dosunmu free throws put the Bulls ahead briefly, but Cleveland took control after that, closing the third quarter with a 19-7 run. LeVert scored seven points during this stretch.
The Cavaliers led 67-66 at halftime, with Mitchell scoring 25 points in the first half, including a 360-degree layup during a 10-0 run early in the second quarter.
Chicago had five players in double figures, with White (16) and LaVine (13) leading the way.
Jalen Smith, who scored 10 points in the Bulls’ previous game against Atlanta, missed this game due to illness. Cleveland has now won eight of the last nine meetings with Chicago.
