Cavaliers score 49 points in first quarter, improve to 14-0 with 144-126 win over Bulls

Donovan Mitchell scored a season-high 37 points, Darius Garland had 29 and the Cleveland Cavaliers continued one of the best starts in league history, improving to 14-0 with a 144-126 win over the Chicago Bulls on Friday night in an NBA Cup game.

The Cavs are the sixth team to go 14-0 and first since the Golden State Warriors opened 24-0 in 2015-16.

Cleveland’s 14-game winning streak is the longest in the club’s 55-year existence. The Cavs won 13 in a row three times when LeBron James played for them.

Jarrett Allen added 24 points and Caris LeVert had 22 for the Cavs, who have been perfect under first-year coach Kenny Atkinson.

Coby White scored 29 and Nikola Vucevic had 25 for the Bulls, who were still within four points on Ayo Dosunmu’s dunk with 2:55 left. However, LeVert and Mitchell dropped 3-pointers as the Cavs blitzed the Bulls 21-7 the rest of the way.

The Cavs played without starting forward Evan Mobley, who has been battling an illness the past few days.

Takeaways

Bulls: The league’s fastest-paced team by most offensive metrics had too many rushed shots and poor possessions to pull off the win.

Cavaliers: At home. On the road. Short-handed. It doesn’t matter. They’re playing with energy and a connectivity that’s only building their confidence and trust in Atkinson, who inherited a great situation and is only making it better.

Key moment

Sensing the need to take over, Mitchell opened the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer and scored Cleveland’s first nine points of the period. He had 18 in the last 12 minutes.