Game Night Observations: Vintage James Harden, Jaylon Tyson's Night and More
Closer than it should have been, but ultimately more good than bad.
CHICAGO — The Cleveland Cavaliers showed who they can be at their best and who they can be at their worst over the course of two hours and 29 minutes on Thursday night in Chicago.
During that time the Cavs built a 29-point lead over the Chicago Bulls thanks to suffocating defense, outstanding play from James Harden and Evan Mobley and an important attention to detail that’s required to win at a high level in the NBA. They also watched that lead dwindle all the way down to just one point with 3:33 remaining in regulation.
The game went from one that should have featured a stress-free finish to one that needed a few clutch plays to be made down the stretch in Cleveland’s 115-110 win.
“We could have very well lost the game. And that's something that we're ... As you're getting to the end of the season here, heading to the playoffs, like every little detail matters,” Cavs guard Sam Merrill said. “You spend a whole season trying to develop habits and whatnot and you're trying to get these last few things figured out and that's one of them – finding a way to just do it for 48 minutes.”
Merrill was among the heroes of the final minutes, knocking down a 3-pointer from the left wing with 3:18 left to push Cleveland’s lead back to four points after Chicago had gotten within one. The Bulls wouldn’t trim the deficit to less than three points after that. It was also the first made 3-pointer — and only — of the fourth quarter for the Cavs after eight consecutive misses.
James Harden’s Vintage Performance
A big part of the reason why the Cavs built a 29-point lead was the play of Harden. With Donovan Mitchell unavailable due to a left eye contusion, Harden was aggressive getting his own from the beginning. He scored 16 of his game-high 36 points in the first quarter.
Harden was feeling it early and often from beyond the arc, knocking down four 3s in the first quarter, including a pair of shots in which he was fouled. One of those turned into a possession in which Harden himself scored seven points.
