Donovan Mitchell, Cavs beat Bulls for fifth straight win
Jan 15, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill (5) dribbles beside Chicago Bulls guard Jevon Carter (5) in the second quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. credits: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports Donovan Mitchell scored 34 points and Jarrett Allen recorded his ninth straight double-double as the Cleveland Cavaliers won their fifth straight, beating the visiting Chicago Bulls 109-91 on Monday.
Caris LeVert scored 16 points, Sam Merrill added 15 and Allen finished with 10 points and 14 rebounds for Cleveland, which led by as many as 21 in the third quarter.
Chicago rallied to take its first lead of the game at 81-80 early in the fourth quarter, but Cleveland quickly regained control and held on for its sixth straight win over the Bulls.
Coby White led the Bulls with 18 points. Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic scored 17 points apiece, and Vucevic grabbed 10 rebounds. Ayo Dosunmu and Alex Caruso each scored 10 points. DeMar DeRozan was held to six points for Chicago, which has lost two of its last three.
The Cavaliers shot 41.1 percent from the field, including 20 of 57 (35.1 percent) from 3-point range, and improved to 16-3 this season against teams with a record under .500.
Chicago connected on 42.2 percent of its shots, including 9 of 32 (28.1 percent) from beyond the arc.
Cleveland turned in an impressive performance in its first game since beating the Brooklyn Nets in Paris on Thursday. Mitchell had a season-high 45 points in the international contest.
Mitchell scored 10 points in the first four minutes against Chicago and helped give Cleveland a commanding 40-21 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Cavaliers shot 8 of 14 from 3-point range for the period.
Mitchell had 17 points in the first half for the Cavaliers, who took a 60-46 lead into intermission. Cleveland's bench outscored the Bulls' reserves 30-5 in the first half.
Chicago battled back and cut the deficit to 80-77 after closing the third quarter on a 21-3 run. Cleveland hit just 3 of 14 from 3-point range for the period.
The Bulls pulled within 93-86 midway through the fourth quarter before Cleveland used an 11-3 run to secure the victory.
Chicago played without forward Patrick Williams, who missed his second straight game due to a sprained right ankle.
—Field Level Media