The Cleveland Cavaliers became the sixth NBA team to start their season 14-0 with a 144-126 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Friday.
Cleveland joins the 1957-58 Boston Celtics (14-0), the 2002-03 Dallas Mavericks (14-0), the 1948-49 Washington Capitols (15-0), the 1993-0 Houston Rockets 94 (15-0) and the 2015-16 Houston Rockets Golden State Warriors (24-0)
Cleveland came out torrid, setting a franchise record with 49 points in the first quarter while shooting 86% from the floor (including 70% on three-pointers). Three players hit double figures, led by Darius Garland’s 15. The Cavs’ point guard shot 5-for-6 from the floor and 3-for-4 from 3. He ultimately finished with 29 points and nine assists.
Everyone had to catch up to Donovan Mitchell, who hit his first four shots (including two three-pointers) and scored 10 points. Mitchell finished with a game-high 37 points, scoring 17 points in the fourth quarter. Jarrett Allen added 24 points with 10 rebounds, while Caris LeVert scored 22 points off the bench.
Despite that scoring outburst, however, the Cavs’ defense let the Bulls get right back into the game. Chicago outscored the Cavs 39-28 to cut the margin to 77-73 at halftime.
Nikola Vučević led the Bulls with 18 points at halftime on 8-for-11 shooting (2-for-4 from 3). He finished with 25 points and eight rebounds, while Coby White scored a team-high 29 points. Patrick Williams added 17 and shot 4-for-5 on 3s.
The Bulls took a 90-89 lead with five minutes left in the third quarter. But a 3 from Garland put the Cavs back on top, 92-90, and Cleveland outscored Chicago 15-12 to end the quarter. The Bulls tied the game again early in the fourth at 110-110, but the Cavs pulled within a 34-16 run to close out the game.
Chicago leaned heavily on three-pointers to fuel their rally, making 43 shots from behind the arc. White took 11 3s, while both Williams and Josh Giddey took five. Rookie Matas Buzelis shot 3-for-3 from long range.
The 14 straight wins are also a franchise record for the Cavs, who have 13 winning streaks in the 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons. Head coach Kenny Atkinson also continued the league record for longest winning streak by a first-year coach. Atkinson previously set the high mark for most consecutive wins, starting a season for a new coach at 9-0.
Cleveland will try to become the third NBA team to start the season 15-0 on Sunday against the Charlotte Hornets.
