The Cleveland Cavaliers’ newest All-Star, former 2018 MVP point guard James Harden, mounted a scoring clinic to stave off a surprise Chicago Bulls fourth quarter charge on Thursday. Cleveland held on late to win, 115-110. The Cavaliers handed the Bulls their second home loss to an East playoff squad in as many days, following a less-impressive 30-point Wednesday blowout against Toronto.
Billy Donovan tweaked his first five with Jalen Smith out. He started a trio of guards on the perimeter — Josh Giddey, Tre Jones and Collin Sexton — while shifting Matas Buzelis to a starting power forward role and retaining lob threat Nick Richards as his starting center. “Danger” Rob Dillingham was the first man off the bench.
twitter.com/chicagobulls/status/2034800572260655138Chicago got off to a fast 11-2 start, but the Cavaliers responded with a 24-6 run to take a 26-17 edge late into the first quarter.
Harden proved dominant in the opening period, notching 16 points — including a pair of four-point plays. Cleveland led by 10, 32-22, heading into the second quarter. Between the end of the first frame and the halfway-ish point of the second, the Cavaliers went on a brutal 19-0 run to build up a 20-point edge over the Bulls.
There wasn’t much to like for Chicago after that initial opening burst, but Buzelis once again flashed some appetizing two-way athleticism.
twitter.com/chicagobulls/status/2034797290867601846In the first half, Chicago proved absolutely listless defensively. Harden had 21 points on 5-of-13 shooting (all of his makes arrived on nine long range takes), four assists, three rebounds, two steals and a block through two quarters, while reigning Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley notched 10 points and five rebounds.
Josh Giddey logged a career-most 12 first-half assists, helping Chicago close the gap to “just” 16 points, 61-45, at the break. Cleveland enjoyed a massive free throw advantage in the first half, going 12-of-19 to the Bulls’ 3-of-4 shooting from the charity stripe.
But Chicago wasn’t done yet.
Tale of Two Halves vs Harden, Cavaliers
After trailing Cleveland by as many as 29 points in the third period, a stunning 35-8 run midway through the fourth quarter cut the Bulls’ deficit to as few as two (!) points! Donovan leaned on size for much of this stretch, with a frontcourt lineup comprising Leonard Miller, Guerschon Yabusele and Nick Richards complemented by Giddey and Jones at the guard spots.
With Chicago trailing by just a possession, 103-100, Donovan swapped in Buzelis for Richards at the 4:34 mark. Miller scored all 10 of his points, mostly achieved within the 3-point arc, during that stupendous Chicago fourth quarter run. The Bulls then pulled within a point, 103-102, thanks to a pair of Tre Jones free throws.
But Harden’s vintage play helped the Cavaliers avoid what would have been a season-worst collapse, across the entire league.
Harden took Miller off the dribble at the 31.7-second mark, putting Cleveland up by five, 112-107.
A quick Tre Jones interior drive resulted in two more free throw opportunities (he had a Bulls-most eight on the night), although he split them to keep it a two-possession game with time winding down. A Jones/Buzelis two-man corner trap on Harden just over the halfcourt line prompted a Kenny Atkinson timeout call with 18.4 seconds remaining in regulation.
Giddey fouled Harden quickly after the timeout. He also split both his free throws in a hilariously un-clutch moment, putting Cleveland up by five, 113-108, with 17.7 seconds left. Donovan burned his last timeout.
Chicago scrambled for a clean look in the next possession, prompting Buzelis to eventually heave a tough long triple try. It clanged off the rim, Evan Mobley grabbed the board and drew a foul. He missed both his charity stripe looks. Yabusele responded with a driving layup. Atkinson used his final timeout to advance the ball with Cleveland up by just three points, 113-110, at the four-second mark.
Mobley desperately dished it to Dennis Schroder in the backcourt thanks to some tough pressure D from Chicago on the inbounds. Schroder iced the game with two makes at the charity stripe.
The final Cavaliers edge was a shockingly respectable five points, 115-110.
With the loss, the Bulls fell to a 19-18 record in clutch games this season. Giddey recorded a career-high 19 assists. Dillingham submitted his Bulls-career best 17 points by the third frame.
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