Cavaliers start fast, beat Bulls in NBA Cup opener to go 14-0

CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers' mantra is all-consuming: "We want to go to Vegas." They routed the Chicago Bulls on Friday 144-128 to win their Emirates NBA Cup opener at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. In the process, they have started the season on a 14-game winning streak, fourth-best in NBA history. The Cavs (14-0, 1-0) continued to pour it on in the fourth quarter since point differential is key to surviving in the NBA's in-season tournament. "We need to continue to score," guard Donovan Mitchell said. "We want to go to Vegas." Las Vegas is the site of the NBA Cup's semifinals and championship Dec. 14 and 17. Mitchell erupted for a game-high 37 points, 18 in the fourth quarter. "He senses what the team needs," coach Kenny Atkinson said. "It speaks to his IQ. He just took over." His fourth-quarter outburst is nothing new to his teammates. "He can turn it on at any time," swingman Isaac Okoro said. Point guard Darius Garland was also outstanding with 29 points and nine assists. Overall, the Cavs had four players score 20 or more points for the first time this season. Playing without power forward Evan Mobley (illness), much of the burden inside fell on the shoulders of center Jarrett Allen, who contributed 24 points, 10 rebounds, three steals and two blocks. Swingman Caris LeVert came off the bench to score a season-high 22 points. "When we have this much depth, it's fun," Atkinson said. "It's an embarrassment of riches." The Cavs' torrid shooting continued, as they shot .548 from the field and .488 from the 3-point line. They also dished out 33 assists. "When your best players can pass it, it changes everything," Atkinson said. "It's Warriors-esque." Cleveland is leading the NBA in scoring, field goal percentage and 3-point percentage. The Cavs' next NBA Cup game is in Boston on Tuesday. Bulls guard Coby White had a team-high 29 points for Chicago (5-8, 0-1), while center Nikola Vucevic added 25 points and eight rebounds. Cleveland led 77-73 at halftime, which was the most points allowed by the Cavs in a half this season. Atkinson was furious with the team's defense in the first half and slammed down a flip flop in the locker room to prove his point. Cleveland burst out of the gates and led 49-34 in the opening period, which was a franchise record for points in a quarter. Going for Cup The NBA's in-season tournament began Friday for the Cavs. Atkinson said there has been no mention of the Emirates NBA Cup among the players, although the players are aware of it. "It's good for the league," he said. "It's good for the fans." The Cavs finished 3-1 in the NBA Cup last year but didn't advance because of point differential. "We want to keep testing ourselves at the highest level," Atkinson said. In the past, some teams got testy when their opponents were running up the score in the in-season tournament games. "Now, you might have to go for it," he said. "Everyone understands the point differential. There is a strategy to it." Practice? The Cavs have had so many games bunched together, they haven't been able to get on the practice court. "We never practice," Atkinson said. "We just play games. "We're in constant recovery mode. It's challenging for all NBA coaches. It's frustrating as a coach. You can see some slippage." But he realizes it's not possible to have a two-hour practice to clean up things with the team playing almost every other day. Cleveland is playing a league-high 16 back-to-back games this season. Bob Finnan can be reached at rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X.