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.

The Bulls have yet to win an NBA Cup game after going 0-4 in last year’s group stage, a dismal run that was punctuated by a 124-97 blowout at the hands of the Boston Celtics. They were seeded for a consecutive year in East Group C, which once again includes the Celtics in addition to the Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Washington Wizards.