New York got balanced scoring from their other wing stars minus Towns to start Friday's contest. They jumped out to a 37-32 lead at the end of the first quarter behind 10 points from OG Anunoby, and seven points each from Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Mikal Bridges in the first frame.

The Nets are coming off a 139-114 loss to the Celtics in which Brooklyn played winning basketball in the first half of the game before the team dropped the ball in the final 24 minutes. With forward Dorian Finney-Smith missing the contest due to a left ankle sprain,

The Bulls left New York feeling good about their chances to hand the unbeaten Cavs their first loss of the season. Too many breakdowns and too much Donovan Mitchell, however, doomed that plan.

Donovan Mitchell scored a season-high 37 points, Darius Garland had 29 and the Cleveland Cavaliers continued one of the best starts in league history, improving to 14-0 with a 144-126 win over the Chicago Bulls on Friday night in an NBA Cup game.