CLEVELAND, Feb. 12 (BNA): Superstar Donovan Mitchell scored 19 of his 29 points in the second half, and Jarrett Allen had 23 points and 10 rebounds, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 97-89 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday. a night.
Mitchell added 10 rebounds and Darius Garland scored 19 for Cleveland, which trailed 61-48 in the third quarter before unleashing the run 43-17 to go up by 13, the Associated Press reported.
“This was a huge victory for us,” said Mitchell. “We were getting a good look early on and playing right, but the shots didn’t fall. Once we started hitting them, we know it’s hard to play here because of our fighting and our fans.”
Zach LaVine scored 23 points, Nikola Vucevic had 14 points and 14 rebounds, and DeMar DeRozan had 16 points and six assists for the Bulls. Chicago was outscored 20-4 to start with a fourth-place finish and fell for its third consecutive win.
The Cavaliers were playing the second half of a tough set, arriving in Cleveland at 4 a.m. after their 118-107 win in New Orleans. This nationally broadcast match tilts after 10 PM EST.
“To find the nerve to prove it is special,” said Cavaliers coach JB Bickerstaff. “The mental toughness that guys have shown when things don’t go our way, you talk about growth, that’s what it was.”
Evan Mobley scored 14 points and Garland had seven assists, helping Cleveland extend their lead over fourth-place Brooklyn in the Eastern Conference to 2 1/2 games. The Cavaliers swept their four-game season series with Chicago.
The Bulls committed 23 turnovers, were 5-of-21 on 3-pointers and only managed 60 points over the last three quarters.
“We shot ourselves big tonight,” Chicago coach Billy Donovan said. “A lot of it is the team learning how to stop the bleeding. Everyone’s doing the best they can, but we’re not getting the results we want.”
The Cleveland reserves missed 18 of 19 shot attempts, including 13 on 3-pointers, Ricky Rubio went empty on six attempts and Dean Wade missed all five of his shots.
Mitchell scored a franchise-record 71 points in the two teams’ previous meeting on January 2, a 145–134 overtime victory at home to the Cavaliers. He tied for eighth most points in a game in NBA history and was the highest total in the league in 17 years.
Eyes wide open eyes well Hdhirtan
The Bulls are in the midst of a battle for a place in the tournament in the East. Chicago hasn’t made a roster move since mid-December, but that could soon change as vice president Arturas Karnisovas and general manager Mark Eversley actively look at contract-buying prospects around the NBA.
“There have certainly been discussions and we’ve talked about some names but obviously I can’t say who they are,” Donovan said. “You can take a good player that we all feel confident can help us.”
Tip-ins
The Bulls: G Lonzo Ball (left knee surgery), who has not played in a game since January 14, 2022, will have his status updated by Karnisovas after the All-Star break. The ball has been able to dunk in recent weeks and may be on the verge of a comeback. C Andre Drummond averaged a franchise 12.9 rebounds over two seasons with Cleveland, leading the NBA in 2019-2020. Chicago concluded a three-game trip.
Cavaliers: J. Dylan Windler (sprained right ankle) was in uniform for the second time, but did not enter the game. The 2019 first-round pick missed the entire season after suffering multiple setbacks. “It was difficult because there were random bumps in the road that you couldn’t explain,” Bickerstaff said. Windler has only appeared in 81 games as a professional. Cleveland has sold out all 30 home games.
the next
The Bulls: Hosting Orlando on Monday Night.
Cavaliers: Host San Antonio Monday Night.
Rial