James Harden knocked down seven 3-pointers on his way to 36 points, Evan Mobley added 26 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers held off a furious second-half rally to beat the host Chicago Bulls 115-10 on Thursday.
Cleveland (43-27) used early 16-5 and 19-0 runs to build what was a double-digit lead for much of the night. The Cavaliers’ advantage swelled to 29 behind Harden delivering his highest scoring total since joining Cleveland in a trade from the Los Angeles Clippers, and his most made 3-pointers with the club on 13 attempts.
Harden has proved pivotal with season-long Cavaliers scoring leader Donovan Mitchell scratched from the lineup shortly before tipoff. Mitchell, who is averaging 28 points per game, sustained an eye injury in practice.
Chicago (28-42), one night removed from a 30-point loss to Toronto, came storming back. The Bulls chipped the deficit down to 20 going into the fourth quarter, then erupted for a 20-4 run that cut the deficit to two midway through the final period.
Guerschon Yabusele was a catalyst for the rally, scoring all 10 of his points off the bench in the fourth quarter. He added 11 rebounds for a double-double.
Leonard Miller added another 10 points in reserve duty and Rob Dillingham led the Chicago bench unit with 17 points. The trio helped the Bulls to a 43-22 advantage for bench points, and contributed to a balanced all-around effort for Chicago in its near-comeback.
Tre Jones led the Bulls with 20 points, Nick Richards scored 16 and Josh Giddey dished a career-high 19 assists.
Chicago’s balance was not enough to overcome Harden’s outburst and Mobley’s efficiency. Mobley shot 12 of 19 from the floor (63.1%) and grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds.
Mobley was one of two Cavaliers to record a double-double, with Jaylon Tyson adding 18 points and 11 rebounds, helping fill the frontcourt absence of injured center Jarrett Allen.
