By ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHICAGO (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored a season-high 36 points, and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Chicago Bulls, 119-113, on Monday night, Nov. 11, to become the eighth NBA team to begin a season with 12 straight wins.
Darius Garland scored 17 points for Cleveland, and Evan Mobley had 15 points and 11 rebounds. The Cavaliers scored at least 110 points for the 11th time.
Garland rolled in a layup with 24 seconds left, and Mitchell made two free throws to help close it out.
Zach LaVine scored 26 points for Chicago, which lost for the fifth time in six games. Coby White and Nicola Vucevic each had 20 points.
The Bulls opened a nine-point lead with 4:26 left in the third quarter before Cleveland bounced back late for a second straight game.
Meanwhile in Oklahoma City, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored a career-high 45 points, and the Thunder beat the Los Angeles Clippers, 134-128, in their first game this season without Chet Holmgren.
Holmgren will miss at least eight weeks with a pelvic fracture after a hard fall during Sunday’s loss to Golden State. The 7-foot-1 forward/center had been one of the league’s most efficient scorers and top shot blockers.
Gilgeous-Alexander picked up the slack by making 13 of 21 field goals and 15 of 16 free throws. He also had nine assists. Jalen Williams scored 28 points and Lu Dort added 19 for Oklahoma City.
With their tallest starter at 6-foot-6, the Thunder ran relentlessly, yet committed just 11 turnovers. They were outrebounded 47-29.
In Houston, Alperen Sengun scored 27 points for a second straight game and added 17 rebounds, leading the Houston Rockets to a 107-92 win over the Washington Wizards on Monday night.
Sengun hit 12 of 19 shots and added three blocks. Jalen Green scored 18 points, Amen Thompson had 13, and Jabari Smith Jr. and Aaron Holiday each added 11.
In other games, Cam Thomas scored 10 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, including a 3-pointer for the lead in the final minute, and the Brooklyn Nets defeated New Orleans, 107-105, to extend the Pelicans’ losing streak to five games.
Cameron Johnson and Noah Clowney each scored 15 points and Dennis Schroder scored 14 for the Nets, who snapped a two-game skid.
In San Antonio, Victor Wembanyama had 34 points and 14 rebounds, Chris Paul added 12 points and 11 rebounds and the Spurs rolled to a 116-96 victory over the Sacramento Kings.
De’Aron Fox had 24 points, Domantas Sabonis finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds and DeMar DeRozan added 21 points for Sacramento.
