The Cavaliers start NBA Cup group play with a win led by Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland.
This game was closer than it seemed like it would be after the Cleveland Cavaliers‘ 49-point first quarter. Still, they were able to hold on to a lopsided 144-126 victory over the Chicago Bulls that was closer than the final score indicated. The Cavs have now tied the 1948-49 Washington Capitols and 2002-03 Dallas Mavericks for the third-best start in NBA history.
Head coach Kenny Atkinson said he wasn’t thrilled with the way his team played against the first meeting between these two teams earlier this week.
“After watching our last Chicago game this morning, it definitely wasn’t perfect,” Atkinson said. “I even came out of watching it the second time, a little upset like, man, we’re going to have to play a lot better tonight to beat them.”
The Cavs did play better. That showed through most in the first quarter.
Cleveland’s guards came out of the gates firing on all cylinders. Donovan Mitchell set the tone by scoring 10 points in the first three and a half minutes. Darius Garland picked up the pace from there as he scored 15 points and dished out six helpers in the first quarter alone to give the Cavs a 49-34 lead after one. Cleveland’s first miss inside the three-point line came three minutes into the third when Mitchell missed a layup.
Atkinson mentioned before the game that he wasn’t a fan of how the schedule has shaken out thus far. His team is tied for the most games played thus far.
“I get frustrated as a coach,” Atkinson said pregame about the lack of practices. “You see the slippage and it’s like, man, how do we get back? We’ll let’s have a two-hour practice, [but there’s] just no way. [You] can’t do that.”
This was seen most on the defensive side of the court. They missed Evan Mobley most here. The Bulls play at the fastest pace in the league and it showed. Cleveland’s defense had a tough time staying with them after the first quarter which allowed the Bulls to get back into the game. Chicago scored 68 points led by Coby White who contributed 26 points in the second and third quarters alone. It became anyone’s game as the Cavs nursed a five-point lead heading into the fourth.
Fortunately for the Cavs, they have two of the best guards in the league on their team.
Much like the first quarter, Mitchell got the offense going by scoring nine straight at the start of the closing frame. Garland continued his fourth-quarter magic. He provided timely baskets and found Caris LeVert in the corner for essentially what felt like the game-sealing three with two minutes left.
Mitchell erased any remaining doubt by draining a three on the ensuing possession.
The Cavs then continued to score from there to pad their point differential for the NBA Cup. They ended up scoring on their final seven possessions. Mitchell led the way with 37 points and 7 rebounds. Eighteen of them came in the fourth. Garland added 29 points and 9 assists.
“We want to be in Vegas,” Jarrett Allen said to Serena Winters after the game. If they keep playing like this, they have a good chance of doing that.
The 18-point victory gives the Cavs the edge in Group C of the NBA Cup. Their next NBA Cup game is Tuesday against the Boston Celtics.