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Donovan Mitchell shines and the Cavaliers survive against the Bulls and reach 12-0

CHICAGO — Donovan Mitchell hit a deep 3-pointer that bounced hard off the back rim and high into the air. Evan Mobley overcame a boxout, grabbed the ball from the sky and gave the Cleveland Cavaliers another second chance against the Chicago Bulls on Monday.

As he took control, Mobley fired a pass back to Mitchell, the man with the hot hand. Of course, Mitchell knew exactly what to do.

With a running start and a clear path out of the half court, Mitchell caught the ball at the free throw line. Without making a dribble, he made a powerful catch-up step and fled. Bulls second-year forward Julian Phillips stepped boldly forward, the only soul brave enough to stand between Mitchell and the attack he was about to unleash on the sideline. Phillips has worked out a good position. But in mid-air, Mitchell hit the proverbial circle button. Using a 360-degree spin move, Mitchell evaded the defender, avoided an offensive foul and scored a deft right-handed layup four minutes into the second quarter.

They were the finest of Mitchell's season-high 36 points in the Cavs' 119-113 road win. And while the highlight play stunned the crowd at the United Center, Mitchell yearned for more.

“I mean, I wanted to dunk it,” Mitchell said with a laugh. “But he stepped up and I just made a play.”

Led by Mitchell, who scored 25 points in the first half, the Cavs outlasted a fast-paced and pesky Bulls team and extended their unbeaten streak to 12 games. Cleveland became just the eighth team in NBA history to start the season 12-0.

“Great statistics. I didn’t know that,” first-year Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said. “We will celebrate that. Having been in the league for 17 years, you have good and bad starts. But to have such a great start is unique and a reason to celebrate.”

With every win, the Cavs become a bigger target across the league. They already expect the best from every opponent as they all hope to be the squad that stops the NBA's only undefeated team. That's why Mitchell said after the third game in four nights that Monday's victory required “courage, determination and fortitude.” Atkinson even acknowledged that the Cavs looked like a tired group.

But these are also the challenges that the Cavs are aware of and must overcome if they want to finally make a breakthrough in the Eastern Conference. Atkinson said he sees a determined squad ready to prove they are legitimate championship contenders.

“I think this group is locked in,” Atkinson said. “I think there are questions about this group, whether they can get to the next level. Can they take the next step? I think if you have this chip you can concentrate even better.”

Mitchell's brilliant scoring ability propelled them to early success against the Bulls. He attempted half of Cleveland's first 16 shots and sank five of his seven made three-pointers in the first half.

“For me it’s about balancing that: picking my spots, picking my games and empowering everyone,” Mitchell said. “But sometimes you have to do what I’m paid to do.”

But when the Bulls turned a 10-point Cavs lead in the first half into a nine-point deficit that seemed almost out of control in the third quarter, it was the Cavs' bench, not the team's stars, that restored order .

“They came in and really changed the game,” Mitchell said.

Cleveland had a 39-16 advantage in bench scoring. Ty Jerome, Caris LeVert and Georges Niang each scored 12 points, and Dean Wade added three. Jerome helped change the face of the game with his energy, defense, playmaking and scoring ability. In as many minutes he was a game-best plus-21. Atkinson reversed the momentum as it went small, subbing Wade in for Mobley at five. Suddenly, the Cavs found the right group to keep up with the Bulls, who shot 58.1 percent in the first half and trailed by just one point at halftime.

“We were just looking,” Atkinson said. “We were looking for something to cheer us on.”

Cleveland's reserve team closed the third quarter with a 19-7 run. The team's camaraderie was evident throughout the game in the way the Cavs shared the ball and committed to more passes. But how much they enjoy competing during this hot start was shown when Jerome put Bulls guard Josh Giddey in a blender with a series of six dribbles that he finished with a floater. The basket extended the Cavs' lead to 19-4 and gave them a six-point lead.

Jerome turned to his bench and stared. Mobley and Darius Garland jumped out of their seats. Garland got so carried away that he received a technical foul for splashing onto the field to celebrate.

“It was like they were a bunch of freshmen,” Atkinson said. “They stood up and cheered on their boys. Nobody said, “Hey, put me back in the game.” Because sometimes that happens. They are just happy for their teammates. And they understand the context of the game and know that we needed the bench. It’s great to see the chemistry in our team.”

Chicago committed 21 turnovers, which Bulls coach Billy Donovan described as self-inflicted. Cleveland turned it into 35 points. The Cavs had a 24-point lead in turnovers.

“They played great basketball,” Donovan said.

Mitchell and the Cavs are doing their best to enjoy the moment — while working toward more.

“It’s great to be a part of history,” Mitchell said. “You don’t want to take these things for granted on the street when we do it in different ways. We do it in a way where we blow up teams. We win from behind. We win close games. And it's someone different who takes the lead every night. It’s always a group effort.”

But, Mitchell said, it's only been 12 games.

“We are playing well. The mood is good. But we have to continue to be that team,” Mitchell said. “And that’s my message to the guys in the locker room. That's great. We will get the teams best shots. We will get tested early. I have no doubt about it, but are we going to continue to be that team in January, February, March, April? That was my thing. And I think the boys all feel it. But it’s great to enjoy this moment while you’re still dealing with it modestly.”

(Photo by Donovan Mitchell: Matt Marton / Imagn Images)

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