NBA Cup: Cavaliers improve to 14-0, beat Bulls

Cleveland Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell (45) makes a basket against the Chicago Bulls during the first half of an Emirates NBA basketball game in Cleveland, Friday, Nov 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Phil Long)

CLEVELAND — Donovan Mitchell scored a season-high 37 points, Darius Garland had 29 and the Cleveland Cavaliers continued one of the best starts in league history, improving to 14-0 with a 144-126 win over the Chicago Bulls on Friday night in an NBA Cup game.

The Cavs are the sixth team to go 14-0 and first since the Golden State Warriors opened 24-0 in 2015-16.

Cleveland’s 14-game winning streak is the longest in the club’s 55-year existence. The Cavs won 13 in a row three times when LeBron James played for them.

READ: NBA: Cavaliers keeping perspective amid 13-0 start

37 for Spida.
29 for Garland.

14-0 for Cleveland 🤯

The @cavs are 1 win from tying the 2nd-best start in NBA HISTORY! pic.twitter.com/sqCCNbiYUi

— NBA (@NBA) November 16, 2024

Jarrett Allen added 24 points and Caris LeVert had 22 for the Cavs, who have been perfect under first-year coach Kenny Atkinson.

Coby White scored 29 and Nikola Vucevic had 25 for the Bulls, who were still within four points on Ayo Dosunmu’s dunk with 2:55 left. However, LeVert and Mitchell dropped 3-pointers as the Cavs blitzed the Bulls 21-7 the rest of the way.

The Cavs played without starting forward Evan Mobley, who has been battling an illness the past few days.

Takeaways

Bulls: The league’s fastest-paced team by most offensive metrics had too many rushed shots and poor possessions to pull off the win.

Cavaliers: At home. On the road. Short-handed. It doesn’t matter. They’re playing with energy and a connectivity that’s only building their confidence and trust in Atkinson, who inherited a great situation and is only making it better.

READ: NBA: Cavaliers remain perfect as 76ers can’t keep up

Key moment

Sensing the need to take over, Mitchell opened the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer and scored Cleveland’s first nine points of the period. He had 18 in the last 12 minutes.

Key stat

Cleveland set a franchise record for points in a quarter with 49 in the first.

Up next

Cleveland hosts Houston on Sunday, the same day the Cavs welcome the Hornets.