No Evan Mobley, no drawback for the nonetheless undefeated Cavaliers.
On November 15, the Cavs started their quest for the NBA Cup by demolishing the Chicago Bulls, 144-126, due to a 37-point fourth quarter in entrance of 19,432 towel-waving followers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse to maneuver up 14. -0.
Solely three groups in NBA historical past have began higher than 14-0. The 1948-49 Washington Capitals and 1993-94 Houston Rockets had been 15-0. The 2015-16 Golden State Warriors began 24-0 and misplaced to the Cavs within the NBA Finals.
Donovan Mitchell scored 18 of his game-high 37 factors within the fourth quarter. Darius Garland scored 29 factors and had 9 assists. Jarrett Allen scored 24 factors (on 11 of 15 capturing) and added 10 rebounds.
Coach Kenny Atkinson calls it 14-0 #Riders are taking part in “Warrioresque” basketball after making 21 of 43 3s to beat the #Bulls144-126, Friday night. pic.twitter.com/k12FkSlR7H
– Jeff Schudel (@jsproinsider) November 16, 2024
“It’s a collective group effort,” Mitchell mentioned. “We discover methods to win in several situations selflessly.”
4 nights earlier than eliminating the Bulls in Cleveland, the Cavaliers sweated 119-113 towards the Bulls in Chicago. It was not an inventive efficiency.
“After watching Chicago’s final recreation, I informed (the gamers), ‘We will should play lots higher tonight to beat them,'” Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson mentioned earlier than the Nov. 15 recreation.
Atkinson’s message carried added weight as a result of Mobley, who scored 15 factors and grabbed 11 rebounds within the Nov. 11 recreation, missed the rematch as a result of he’s ailing.
The Cavs responded to Atkinson’s problem by scoring 49 factors within the first quarter – a franchise file for factors in any quarter within the Cavaliers’ 55-year historical past – once they shot 86.4 p.c (19 of twenty-two) on the sector.
The Bulls weren’t shaken. By halftime, the Cavs’ lead was right down to 77-73, and with 5:38 left within the third quarter, the Bulls took the lead, 90-89, on a 3-pointer from Coby White. 28 ft.
In a wild flurry, Darius Garland turned the ball over with 5:02 left within the third, stole the ball with 4:58 left, then missed a layup as he drove to the basket six seconds later late. Ty Jerome grabbed the offensive rebound and threw a cross to Garland, who had retreated to the left nook of the basket. Garland drained the 3-pointer to place the Cavs again in entrance.
That is the second season that every one 30 NBA groups have performed for the NBA Cup. Every workforce kinds a gaggle of 5 inside its personal convention, making six teams of 5 groups. The groups are grouped randomly based mostly on their last 2023-24 outcomes. The Cavs, Bulls, Celtics, Hawks and Wizards are in East Group C. Every workforce performs the opposite 4 as soon as with the aim of advancing to the subsequent spherical.
Atkinson, earlier than the Nov. 15 recreation, mentioned he did not point out the NBA Cup to his workforce. They did not must be reminded as a result of the wine-colored flooring on which the sport was performed was designed solely for the match.
Level differential is used as a tiebreaker within the match, by which group matches are performed on Tuesdays and Fridays from November 12 to December 3. The Cavs had been clearly conscious of the tiebreaker format, as they scored 19 factors within the last two minutes. .
