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

Cleveland became the first team to start the season with this many wins since the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors, who finished the season 73-9 and set an NBA record 24-0.

“It’s great to be a part of history,” Cavs star said Donovan MitchellHe had a season-high 36 points against Chicago. “While we do it in a variety of ways, I never want to take those things for granted. We do it in a way that blows teams away. We win from behind. We win close games. And every night, a different person leads the charge. It’s always a group effort.”

The Bulls pushed the Cavaliers into a competitive game by taking the lead in the first quarter and falling behind by one point at halftime, despite Mitchell’s 25 first-half points.

Chicago led by nine points in the third quarter, but Cleveland’s bench lineup helped the offense get back into the game. Ty JeromeCompleting the match with 12 points and 6 assists, the Cavs outperformed the Bulls by 21 points in 21 minutes.

Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said he understood that the starters were feeling tired in the third period and that he returned to the bench to give the starters some breathing room, which sparked the run.

“She trusts men from 1 to 15,” Jerome said. “That’s what a team is. You need depth during the regular season.”

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

“This group is locked in,” Atkinson said. “I think (there have been) questions about this group, whether they can 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), even focus more.”

“There’s another level of concentration, another level of focus, another level of detail that these guys have used to get us to 12-0 so far.”

Cleveland’s fast start came in Atkinson’s first season as head coach. He was an assistant with the Warriors the last three seasons and was the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets from 2016 to 2020.

Still, Atkinson initially credited the team’s consistency. He joined a team that already had Mitchell. Darius Wreath, Jarrett Allen And Evan Mobley — a core in their third season as teammates.

“Kenny did a great job of impressing everyone,” Mobley said Monday night. “We knew the defense was going to come into play, and he had an offensive plan that he wanted to figure out for us. And he fixed it very well, and I think everyone bought into it right away. Since then, we’ve been going up from there.”

Cleveland’s next three games are also positive: away on Wednesday against an injured Philadelphia 76ers, then home to the Bulls again on Friday and the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday.

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

“It’s great. We’re playing well, the environment is good, but we have to continue to be this team,” Mitchell said. “That’s my message to the players in the locker room. It’s great. We’re going to take the teams’ best shots. We’re going to be tested early, but will we continue? And I never say, no I doubt we will, but that’s my job. This will continue to be the team in January, February, March, April “I think guys all feel that, but it’s also great to enjoy these moments while you’re still having fun.”