The Cleveland Cavaliers became the sixth NBA team to begin their season 14-0 with a 144-126 win over the Chicago Bulls on Friday.
Cleveland joins the 1957-58 Boston Celtics (14-0), 2002-03 Dallas Mavericks (14-0), 1948-49 Washington Capitols (15-0), 1993-94 Houston Rockets (15-0) and 2015-16 Golden State Warriors (24-0)
Cleveland came out scorching, setting a franchise record with 49 points in the first quarter while shooting 86% from the floor (including 70% on 3-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-of-4 from 3. He eventually finished with 29 points and nine assists.
Everyone had to catch up to Donovan Mitchell, who hit his first four shots (including two 3-pointers) and scoring 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.
However, despite that scoring outburst, the Cavs’ defense let the Bulls 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 the half 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, shooting 4-for-5 on 3s.
The Bulls took a 90–89 lead with five minutes remaining in the third quarter. But a 3 by Garland put the Cavs back on top, 92–90, and Cleveland outscored Chicago 15–12 to end the quarter. The Bulls once again tied the game at 110–110 early in the fourth, but the Cavs went on 34–16 run to close out the game.
Chicago relied heavily on 3-pointers to fuel their rally, taking 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 consecutive wins is also a franchise record for the Cavs, who compiled 13-game winning streaks in the 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons. Head coach Kenny Atkinson also set a league record for the longest winning streak by a first-year coach. Atkinson had previously set the high mark for most consecutive wins to begin a season for a new coach at 9–0.
Cleveland will attempt to become the third NBA team to start its season 15–0 on Sunday versus the Charlotte Hornets.