Cavaliers ignore obstacles, fight back to beat Bulls for sixth straight win

CLEVELAND — The red-hot Cavaliers had a built-in excuse for turning in a lackluster effort Saturday. They refused to use it. They didn't get home until 4:30 a.m. after playing in New Orleans on Friday at 10 p.m., and because the Cleveland Monsters had a game Saturday afternoon at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, the Cavs were unable to have their customary shootaround before playing their fifth game in seven nights. Despite all that, the Cavs managed to post a 97-89 come-from-behind win over the Chicago Bulls. It was their sixth win in a row and seventh in their last eight games. "We're fighting until the end," Cavs center Jarrett Allen said. "It's been a tough week for all of us and we never let it affect us." Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said before the game there would be "no excuses." "We have a job to do," he said. And they did it. They battled back from a 13-point deficit to stun the Bulls and sweep the four-game season series. "There were so many reasons we couldn't get the job done," Bickerstaff said. "We didn't use that as a cop-out. We found a way to get it done. It's hard not to root for these guys." The Cavs (37-22) trailed 74-69 after three quarters. Donovan Mitchell's 3-pointer gave the Cavs a 76-74 lead with 9:54 remaining and they never trailed again. Mitchell's shot came after a slick behind-the-back dribble and pass from Ricky Rubio. Mitchell led all scorers with 29 points, matched his season-high with 10 rebounds, dished out six assists and blocked two shots. He came into the game averaging 39.3 points in the previous three games against Chicago this year. Of course, in the last meeting with the Bulls, he had a franchise-record 71-point outburst Jan. 2. Cavs center Jarrett Allen added 23 points and 10 rebounds, continuing his fine play of late. He's averaging 20 points and 11.3 rebounds over his last six games. He's scored 20 or more points in each of the last four games. "There's a desire," Bickerstaff said. "He's always attacking the rim ferociously. There's an aggression. "Guys are learning how to play purposeful basketball. People follow his example." The Cavs almost became unhinged in the second quarter when they were outscored 20-14. They shot 6-of-22 from the field (.272) and 1-of-9 from behind the arc (.111) allowing Chicago to take a 49-40 lead at halftime. Darius Garland overcame a slow start to score 19 points and hand out seven assists. Evan Mobley added 14 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals. Zach LaVine had 23 points for the Bulls (26-30). The Cavs' bench was a combined 1-for-19 from the field, 0-for-13 from the 3-point line. Cedi Osman had four points and Caris LeVert one. Rubio didn't score but dished out five assists and had three steals. "We felt that magic before," Bickerstaff said of Rubio. "His spirit is unique. He has a way to boost a team. He elevated everyone around him." Tip-ins Cavs swingman Dylan Windler, who has yet to appear in a game this year because of an ankle injury, was active. "It's been tough (for him)," Bickerstaff said. "I feel for Dylan. He's faced random bumps in the road. He's to the point, if we need him to get on the floor, he can." ** The Cavs coach credits "attitude" as the biggest reason his team has won six in a row. "We've picked up our intensity and purpose," he said. "We've found better balance offensively." He said in his mind the outstanding play started Jan. 31 in the three-point loss to Miami. Since that game, they haven't lost. Bickerstaff said the Cavs thought, "Oh, wow, this is what we're capable of.'" Contact Bob Finnan at rfinnan30@gmail.com and follow him @BobCavsinsider on Twitter. Cavaliers 97, Bulls 89 CHICAGO (89): DeRozan 6-10 2-3 16, Williams 6-10 0-0 13, Vucevic 7-13 0-0 14, Dosunmu 3-6 0-0 6, LaVine 8-16 5-5 23, Jones Jr. 1-4 3-4 5, Drummond 4-6 0-1 8, Caruso 0-0 0-0 0, Dragic 0-0 0-0 0, White 1-9 2-2 4. Totals 36-74 12-15 89. CLEVELAND (97): E.Mobley 6-13 0-0 14, Okoro 3-9 0-0 7, Allen 10-13 3-5 23, Garland 6-14 4-4 19, Mitchell 10-18 6-6 29, Osman 1-4 2-2 4, Wade 0-5 0-0 0, LeVert 0-4 1-2 1, Rubio 0-6 0-0 0. Totals 36-86 16-19 97. Chicago&emsp;&emsp; 29&emsp;&emsp;20&emsp;&emsp;25&emsp;&emsp;15&emsp;&emsp;—&emsp;&emsp;89Cleveland&emsp;&emsp;26&emsp;&emsp;14&emsp;&emsp;29&emsp;&emsp;28&emsp;&emsp;—&emsp;&emsp;973-Point Goals—Chicago 5-21 (DeRozan 2-5, LaVine 2-5, Williams 1-3, Vucevic 0-4, White 0-4), Cleveland 9-35 (Garland 3-6, Mitchell 3-7, E.Mobley 2-4, Okoro 1-5, LeVert 0-2, Osman 0-3, Wade 0-3, Rubio 0-5). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Chicago 44 (Vucevic 14), Cleveland 39 (Allen, Mitchell 10). Assists—Chicago 27 (Dosunmu 8), Cleveland 26 (Garland 7). Total Fouls—Chicago 22, Cleveland 15. A—19,432 (19,432)