Cavs race past Bulls, officially clinch top seed in East

What seemed like a formality over the past week is now official. The Cleveland Cavaliers have clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

It came courtesy of a 135-113 home win over the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night. Now, regardless of who the Cavaliers face in the postseason, they will have home-court advantage.

The Cavs (63-16) have three games remaining — at Indiana on Thursday, at New York on Friday, and at home vs. the Pacers on Sunday in the regular-season finale. The playoffs begin the following weekend, and the Cavs will open either Saturday (April 19) or Sunday (April 20) at Rocket Arena.

As for this game, the Cavs built a 27-point lead and were rarely threatened despite missing Donovan Mitchell — who sat out with a left ankle tweak, suffered in Sunday’s game against Sacramento.

Darius Garland led the way with 28 points, followed by Evan Mobley, who finished with 21 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists.

“Feels good, especially to win at home,” Garland told FanDuel Sports Network, before addressing the crowd. “Ya’all just enjoy the ride. We’re gonna be here for a long time.”

This marks the fourth time in franchise history the Cavs have clinched the East’s top seed. They can tie the best record in franchise history by winning their final three games.

Ty Jerome added 18 points off the bench in just 22 minutes, shooting 7-of-11 from the field, and De’Andre Hunter scored 17, also in reserve.

Jarrett Allen scored 12, while Max Strus, Dean Wade and Sam Merrill tacked on nine points apiece in one of the Cavaliers’ finest offensive showings of the past several weeks.

The Cavaliers’ Kenny Atkinson has already secured the best record in franchise history for a first-season coach.

• Box Score | Cavs 135, Bulls 113