CHICAGO – The Cavaliers improved to 12-0 with a 119-113 victory over the Bulls on Monday night, making Cleveland the eighth team in NBA history to start a season undefeated through its first 12 games.

Cleveland is the first team to have that many early-season wins since the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors, who posted an NBA record of 24-0 to start that campaign, which they finished 73-9 , also a record.

“It’s great to be a part of history,” said Cavs player Donovan Mitchell, who scored a season-high 36 points against Chicago. “I never want to take those things for granted along the way when we do it in different ways. We do it in ways where we blow teams away. We win from behind. We win close games And every night it’s someone else in charge. It is always a group effort.’

The Bulls pushed the Cavaliers into a competitive game, jumping out to a first-quarter lead and staying within one point at halftime despite 25 points from Mitchell in the first half.

Chicago took a nine-point lead in the third quarter, but Cleveland’s all-bench lineup helped lead the offense back into the game. That included Ty Jerome, who finished with 12 points and six assists as the Cavs outscored the Bulls by 21 points in his 21 minutes.

Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said he could tell his starters were feeling fatigued during the third period and turned to the bench lineup to give them a breather, ultimately scoring a point.

“He trusts guys, one through fifteen,” Jerome said. “That’s what a team is. During the regular season you need depth.”

Five of the previous seven teams that started at least 12-0 reached the NBA Finals.

“This group is locked down,” Atkinson said. “I think there are questions about this group: Can they get to the next level, can they take the next step? So I think when you have that, you have that chip (on your shoulder), you focus. ” even more.

“There’s a different level of concentration, a different level of focus, a different level of detail that these guys are using to get us to 12-0 so far.”

The Cavs’ fast start comes in Atkinson’s first season as head coach. He spent the previous three campaigns as an assistant with the Warriors and was head coach of the Brooklyn Nets from 2016 to 2020.

Atkinson credited Cleveland’s continuity for the start. He joined a team that already had Mitchell, Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley — a core in their third season together as teammates.

“Kenny did a great job infusing everyone,” Mobley said Monday night. “We knew the defensive system was coming, and he had an offensive plan for us that he wanted to work out. And he did a really good job of reestablishing that, and I feel like everyone bought in right away. We’ve just been up from there ever since.”

Cleveland’s next three games are all favorable: against a short-handed Philadelphia 76ers team on Wednesday, before hosting the Bulls on Friday and the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday.

Atkinson said he wanted his players to celebrate the 12-0 start, and Mitchell agreed that’s a record they should cherish now. However, the Cavs star acknowledged that the real test will be how the Cavs respond to this early momentum for the rest of the season and whether they can sustain it.

“It’s great. We’re playing well, the atmosphere is good, but we have to remain this team,” Mitchell said. “And that’s my message to the guys in the locker room. This is great. We’re going to take the best shots of teams. We’ll be tested early, but will we continue? And I never – no doubt we will – but that’s my thing. Are we going to stay this team in January, February, March, April?

“I think the boys are all feeling it, but it’s great to enjoy these moments as well while still having a humble approach to it.”