James Harden, Evan Mobley help Cavaliers hold to beat Bulls in Chicago

James Harden made seven 3-pointers on his way to 36 points, Evan Mobley added 26 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers held off a furious second-half rally to beat the host Chicago Bulls 115-110 on March 19. Cleveland (43-27) used early 16-5 and 19-0 runs to build what was a double-digit lead for much of the night. The Cavaliers' advantage swelled to 29 behind Harden delivering his highest scoring total since joining Cleveland in a trade from the Los Angeles Clippers, and his most 3-pointers with the club on 13 attempts.

Harden proved pivotal with Cavaliers scoring leader Donovan Mitchell scratched from the lineup shortly before tipoff. Mitchell, who is averaging 28. 0 points, sustained an eye injury in practice.

Chicago (28-42), one night removed from a 30-point loss to Toronto, came storming back. The Bulls sliced the deficit down to 20 going into the fourth quarter, then erupted for a 20-4 run that cut the deficit to two midway through the quarter. Guerschon Yabusele was a catalyst for the rally, scoring all 10 of his points off the bench in the fourth quarter.

He added 11 rebounds for a double-double. Leonard Miller added another 10 points in reserve duty and Rob Dillingham led the Chicago bench unit with 17 points. They helped the Bulls to a 43-22 advantage in bench points, and contributed to a balanced all-around effort for Chicago in its near-comeback.