RCF Recap: Cavs' bench boost past Bulls

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• It ended the way it started with the Cavs dominating the Bulls on both ends. It was a bit rocky in between, including the Bulls overcoming a 21-point lead and taking the lead a few minutes into the fourth quarter, but the Cavs flexed their muscle on the Bulls once again to go to 15-3 against teams below .500.
• The Cavs came out fast with a 15-6 run to start much of that fueled by Donovan Mitchell attacking the paint, and the Cavs finding open shooters. The story of the first quarter was the three-point line – the Cavs were 8-15 while the Bulls were 3-13.
• Dean took an early shot! More on that later.
• Max Strus didn’t look right from the tip. He was questionable entering the night with a knee injury – the same one that kept him out of the second half of the Nets game. His shot was uncharacteristically short, and his offensive game didn’t have the same bounce it usually does. Might not be a bad idea to give him a game or two off to get the knee right.
• The Cavs defense looks night and day from the start of the season. Their ability to contain at the point of attack, and force kick outs off rotating help is noticeable. If they were lackadaisical to start the year, they’re engaged now.
• Jarrett Allen was getting fed early off pick-and-roll attempts, but the Cavs went away from it later on. 6 of his 8 points came within the first 6 minutes of the game. When the Cavs hit a lull in the middle of the game, this is something they should have come back to. They had Nikola Vucevic in a blender early.
• At one point in the 1Q, the Cavs had the Bulls spinning their wheel and had Billy Donovan spitting mad. The Cavs were playing inside out really well as evidenced by their 40-point quarter. Donovan had to take several 1Q timeouts to get his defense to regroup.
• The Cavs bench had 19 1Q points, including 3 three-pointers by Georges Niang. On the night, they put up 41 bench points with Caris LeVert (16pts) and Sam Merrill (15pts) leading the way. The 41 points was the 9th highest bench point total on the year with 6 of those top 9 performances coming within the last 8 games. So yeah, the bench is producing.
• This is one of those games that makes you fall back in love with LeVert. While he was only 6-17 from the field, he did chip in 7 rebounds, 7 assists and was a +8. His scoring during his first shift extended the Cavs lead, and his shot creation in the 4Q really helped dig them out of the hole the Bulls had them in. His shot creation is such a value add that has rescued Cavs at critical junctures this year.
• Smart teams go at Niang when he’s on the court. While he did damage early offensively, he gave up at least 3 buckets when directly guarding a Bulls player during his first shift and finished the night -7. The question with Niang is always going to be can you limit the number of points given up when he’s on the court.
• In non-Donovan Mitchell minutes in the first half, the Cavs were a +6. When Mitchell went to the bench in the second half, the Cavs lead went from 12pt lead to 3pt lead in just 5 minutes. Mitchell didn’t leave the court after subbing back in to start the fourth quarter.
• Merrill is a good passer. Not just an opportunistic one but a good passer. It’s an important skill to have because it makes his shooting that much more dangerous. If you over commit to his shooting threat, he can find the right guy. It happened twice tonight: Once with Tristan Thompson off a pick-and-roll, and again with Mitchell after an aggressive close out forced Merrill off his spot. Merrill has earned his spot in JB Bickerstaff’s rotation and is clearly above CRAIG! now.
• The Cavs only scored 4 points in the last 5 minutes of the second quarter. This was a perfect chance for the Bulls to cut into the lead, but they could only muster 7 points.
• Similarly, the Bulls managed to get the lead back to 12 points late into the third quarter only to see the Cavs respond with a 9-0 run lead by Mitchell.
• However, the Cavs resistance didn’t last for too long. The Bulls put up 11 quick points in the last 2 minutes of the 3Q and rolled that into 15-0 run that spanned the third and fourth quarters and allowed the Bulls to take their first, and only, lead on the night.
• The Bulls run came at a time when the Cavs scored 40 points in the 2Q and 3Q combined. This is after they scored 40 points in the 1Q. The offense was stuck in the mud during the middle of the game, and let the Bulls right back in.
• Luckily, the Cavs still have the best player on the court. Right after the Bulls took their lead, the Cavs went on a 10-0 run with Mitchell account for 5 points.This came at a time when the Cavs turned up their defensive effort, and strung those stops together with converting on their first shot attempt offensively.
• It also helps when your opponent is just not that good. The Bulls had 8 fourth quarter turnovers – they had 18 on the night. The Cavs won this game just as much as the Bulls shot themselves in the foot late.
• A key stretch in the 4Q: Isaac Okoro made a bad turnover that lead to a clear path foul. This put Andre Drummond at the line for two free-throws with the Bulls retaining possession. Drummond only made one, and the Bulls subsequently turned the ball over during their offensive possession. The Cavs capitalized on this with a LeVert 3PT.
• The Bulls could have got within 2 but instead it was Cavs by 9. That’s how bad teams stay bad.
• How could we forget about Deaner? Coming into the game, he scored 17 points in 150 minutes and shot the ball only 18 times. Tonight, he was 4-10 from 3 for 12 points in 26 minutes. He struggled for much of the night but poured in 3 3’s in the 4Q. The Cavs need Dean to shoot – his defensive skillset will get him on the floor but his shooting will keep him there.
• The Cavs were +10 in 2nd chance points on the night. Allen had 5 offensive rebounds and was a large catalyst in creating extra opportunities for the Cavs that really hurt the Bulls all night.
• Up next: The Cavs welcome the Milwaukee Bucks to Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse for a 7:30PM (ET) game on ESPN.

BOX SCORE
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