Observations: Cavs Victory Over Bulls

Key observations from the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Chicago Bulls.

The Cleveland Cavaliers returned from their week-long trip to Paris over the weekend and their first matchup back in the States was on Monday night against the Chicago Bulls. 

The Wine and Gold managed to defeat the Bulls with a final score of 109-91. Here are some key observations that stuck out from the win.

1. Fast Start For Cavaliers

Cleveland scored the first eight points of the game and kept that same tone through the first quarter. They ended up scoring 40 points in the first 12 minutes while holding the Bulls to just 21 points. This fast start is even more impressive when you remember the Cavs spent all of last week in France which is six hours ahead of Cleveland.

Jan 15, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) drives between Chicago Bulls forward Terry Taylor (32) and guard Zach LaVine (8) in the second quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports / © David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

2. Bench Mob

The Cavalier reserves were crucial in their win against the Bulls. This is becoming a theme for Cleveland as their second unit continues to fill the void for Darius Garland and Evan Mobley.

The bench totaled 44 points as Caris LeVert scored 16 points, Sam Merrill finished with 15, and Goerges Niang added nine to that. 

3. Max Strus Struggles

Max Strus had a tough night shooting-wise from the floor. He was held scoreless until the fourth quarter and he only scored two points in the game while shooting 1-8 from the floor. We have seen stretches such as this one where Strus struggles, but he always bounces back.

He was questionable leading up to the game with knee soreness, perhaps that lingering injury had something to do with Strus' off night. 

4. Relentless Effort From Cavs

The Cavaliers' largest lead of the game was 21 points which came in the first half. Despite the double-digit lead, they allowed the Bulls to go on a 21-3 run in the third quarter and Chicago even took a lead. Cleveland did not curl up and allow this one to get away from them. They fought back and won convincingly. 

Again, this is a group that was on a whole other continent just a few days ago. This win shows just how relentless this team is.