Cavaliers dominate 4th quarter to beat Bulls, win sixth straight
FILE – Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Cleveland Cavaliers brings the ball up court during the third quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on November 23, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers defeated the Trail Blazers 114-96. Jason Miller/Getty Images/AFP
Donovan Mitchell scored 29 points and Jarrett Allen had 23 to help the host Cleveland Cavaliers rally for a 97-89 win against the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night to extend their winning streak to six games.
Cleveland outscored Chicago 28-15 in the fourth quarter as the Bulls slumped to their third straight loss.
Article continues after this advertisementChicago committed a season-high 22 turnovers, and despite shooting 48.6 percent overall, went just 5-for-21 from 3-point range.
Rubio handle. Spida 3. Cavs lead.
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The Bulls squandered a 13-point, third-quarter lead, losing their grip as the Cavs heated up midway through the second half. Cleveland scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter to reclaim the advantage, taking the lead on a Mitchell trey that put the Cavs ahead 76-74 with 9:54 to play.
Article continues after this advertisementChicago didn’t register its first points of the fourth until Coby White tied the game with a layup one minute later, but Cleveland responded with another 7-0 run. The Cavs swept the season series from the Bulls 4-0.
Zach LaVine scored 23 points to lead the Bulls. DeMar DeRozan followed with 16 points, Nikola Vucevic notched a double-double of 14 points and 14 rebounds and Patrick Williams chipped in 13 points.
DG FROM DOWNTOWN! 🌇@dariusgarland22 | #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/VbR2Y0My0Q
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Darius Garland had 19 points and seven assists for Cleveland, while Evan Mobley added 14 points. Mitchell and Allen each grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Cavs.
Chicago led 49-40 at halftime, capitalizing on the Cavaliers’ second-quarter struggles from the floor.
Cleveland shot 6-for-22 from the field in the quarter, including 1-for-9 from 3-point range. After an Isaac Okoro dunk brought the Cavs to within 39-35 at the 7:20 mark of the second, Cleveland scored just five more points before intermission.
LaVine paced the Bulls with 14 points at the break. Chicago shot 55 percent and had 19 assists on 22 made field goals.
After combining for a series-record 279 points on Jan. 2 — a 145-134 Cleveland victory in overtime — the Bulls and Cavs played a much tighter contest Saturday.
The Cavs played their fifth game in seven days, a stretch that has featured a pair of back-to-backs. Friday’s 118-107 victory in New Orleans concluded after midnight ET.
