Mitchell's late surge pushes Cavaliers over Bulls

Ken Blaze - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese · Senior Writer · 3 hours ago

CLEVELAND - If there was one word to describe the Chicago Bulls (6-3) so far this season, it would be resiliant. Despite missing their leading scorer from a year ago, Coby White, and down another big rotational piece in Zach Collins, the Bulls have gotten off to a great start to the season and have been one of the best teams in the East so far.

Coming off a rough showing against the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday, Chicago didn't have much time to recover as they headed to Rocket Fieldhouse on Saturday to face the Cleveland Cavaliers (7-3). Listed as one of the favorites to emerge from the East this season, the Bulls gave the Cavaliers everything they could handle and more, as they not only led at halftime but also opened up a massive 16-point halftime lead after outscoring the Cavaliers 43-24 in the second quarter.

Even with Cleveland battling back throughout the second half, the Bulls held a late 122-116 lead, looking to have things under control. That was until Donovan Mitchell took it upon himself to put his team on his back as he went on to score eight consecutive points in what was a 29-point effort for him to put the Cavaliers in front for good as the Bulls dropped their second straight game to a Central Division foe, 128-122.

This is one of those losses that will sting for a while, as the Bulls had this game under control late but were unable to close it out. Per the usual, Chicago continued to get plenty of scoring contributions across the board as seven players landed in double figures. However, unlike most cases where Josh Giddey or Nikola Vucevic would be leading the way, it was a pair of unsung heroes stealing the show as Chicago continues to get strong performances from nearly everyone on the roster.

Leading the Bulls was Isaac Okoro, who not only faced off against his old team but also picked the perfect time to have his best game as a Bull, as he led the way for Chicago with 19 points. You read that right, Chicago had a game with seven double-figure scorers and no 20-point scorer, as no single player had the hot hand in this one.

Alone with a rare strong showing from Okoro, Jalen Smith was the other player picking the perfect time to step up, as he too had his best game of the season. After a slow start to the first few games, Smith has begun to come into his own off the bench. With 18 points and 11 rebounds to lead the second unit, you can see his confidence starting to grow.

Those were just two of the many double-digit scorers for the Bulls as Josh Giddey and Tre Jones rounded out the starting five with 17 points and 15 points, respectively. Combine that with Nikola Vucevic and Matas Buzelis, who combined for just 13 points and nine rebounds, and it was evident that the Bulls were going to need a bunch of big performances from their bench to pick up the slack.

That they did, as the Bulls' bench was the main factor in them grabbing the lead and holding on to it as long as they did, with four of their seven double-digit scorers coming from the bench. That included Ayo Dosunmu and his 14 points, as he has picked up right where he left off before his injury. You also had Kevin Huerter drop 15 points with Patrick Williams coming away with 11 to lead the bench, but it still wasn't enough as the Bulls' defense let them down late.

As has come to be expected when these teams play, Mitchell continued to carve up the Bulls' defense, leading all scorers with 29 points, including his eight straight to end the game. He wasn't alone in having a monster night and was joined by De'Andre Hunter and his 29 points as those two formed a dynamic duo that was near impossible to stop at times.

In fact, the entire starting five for the Cavaliers was tough to defend, as all five players landed in double figures and were responsible for 110 of their 128 points. Ideally, you would like to get more balance from the bench than the Cavaliers did in this one, but if your starting five can give you 110 combined points, you are in good hands.

Adding to the big games from Mitchell and Hunter was Evan Mobley, who sacrificed the rebounds for more offense to finish with 24 points and eight boards. Jaylon Tyson and his 17 points, mixed with Jarrett Allen and his 11, capped off the big nights for the Cavaliers as they picked up an impressive come-from-behind win to move into second place in the Central Division.