National Basketball Association
Chicago 117, Cleveland 99
When: 8:30 PM ET, Saturday, February 25, 2017
Where: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Officials: #16 David Guthrie, #8 Marc Davis, #20 Leroy Richardson
Attendance: 20562

CLEVELAND -- Sure, the Chicago Bulls have mopped the floor with the Cleveland Cavaliers this season.

Then again, the Cavs missed three All-Stars and two or three starters in their last two losses to Chicago, including Saturday night's 117-99 defeat.

LeBron James, Kevin Love and J.R Smith were all out of the latest loss. So when coach Tyronn Lue was asked if he saw a common denominator in his team's three losses to the Bulls in as many games this season, he said, "Yeah, players."

"Last home game, Kevin and Kyrie (Irving) didn't play, and then tonight, Kevin, Bron and J.R. didn't play," Lue said. "So I don't see anything there."

The Bulls beat Cleveland 106-94 on Jan. 4 at Quicken Loans Arena.

Jimmy Butler had a triple-double and Dwyane Wade just missed one Saturday night for the Bulls, who have won four in a row.

Butler scored 18 points to go with 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Wade added 20 points, 10 assists, and nine rebounds with a potential 10th board ripped out of his hands by a teammate in the closing seconds.

After trailing by six early in the third quarter, the Bulls went on a 17-2 spurt and led by as many as 20 in the fourth.

"I think we just found our groove," said Wade, James' close friend. "We have had some injuries that have gone on, but we are playing good basketball. That is what we are trying to focus on, and we aren't focusing on what happened weeks ago. We are focused on right now, and we are playing good basketball."

Irving led all scorers with 34 points. He nearly had a triple-double too, finishing with a season-high nine rebounds and seven assists. Kyle Korver and James Jones each scored 14 points off the bench for the Cavs.

Cleveland is 0-4 this season without James, who missed the game because of strep throat, and has lost its last seven games when he doesn't play. Dating to the start of the 2014 season, the Cavs are now 4-19 without him.

Korver owns the fifth-most 3-pointers in NBA history, passing Vince Carter (2,011 3s) and Jamal Crawford (2,013 3s) with four treys. He fell awkwardly with 2:59 remaining in the game and limped off the court toward the locker room.

Korver said after the game that he underwent basic tests and there was no ligament damage to his right knee, only bruising.

"I didn't know what it was going to feel like when I stood up," Korver said. "I was really worried. I don't like to stay down on the ground long, but it just, until I put weight on it, I didn't really know. I'm feeling very fortunate right now. It could've been worse."

Cameron Payne (six points) and Joffrey Lauvergne (two minutes) made their Chicago debuts. On Thursday, the Bulls traded popular veteran Taj Gibson, Doug McDermott and a 2018 second-round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Payne, Lauvergne and Anthony Morrow.

The Bulls had seven players score in double figures. Rajon Rondo was among them with 15 points off the bench. Fellow reserve Nikola Mirotic added 14 points and 10 boards.

"I thought Rondo was good off the bench again," Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. "I thought Cameron Payne gave us really good minutes. Denzel (Valentine) made some big shots for us in the fourth quarter, and Niko played excellent as well.

"I give our guys credit for continuing to go out there and fight. If we continue to play with this type of unselfishness, we are going to be tough."

Irving has scored at least 20 points in eight consecutive games.

NOTES: Free agent point guard Deron Williams cleared waivers and will sign with the Cavs for the remainder of the season. Williams is close friends with Cavs G Kyle Korver, and they share the same agent, Jeff Schwartz. ... Bulls G Michael Carter-Williams (patellar tendonitis) didn't play Saturday night or make the trip to Cleveland. Chicago coach Fred Hoiberg said there was no timetable for Carter-Williams' return. He played just eight minutes in Friday's win over Phoenix. ... Korver is 62 of 118 from 3-point range since joining the Cavs in a trade with Atlanta on Jan. 7.
Top Game Performances
 
Chicago   Cleveland
Dwyane Wade 20 Scoring Kyrie Irving 34
Jimmy Butler 10 Assists Kyrie Irving 7
Jimmy Butler 10 Rebounds Kyrie Irving 9
Rajon Rondo 3 Free Throws Made Kyrie Irving 6
Nikola Mirotic 2 Steals Kay Felder 3
N/A Blocks Kyrie Irving 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Chicago 117 49.5 15-30 10-16 34 47 0 6 7
Cleveland 99 46.2 14-37 11-15 24 40 3 5 12
Upcoming Games
  • Cleveland will play their next game at home against Milwaukee. The Cavaliers have a W/L % of .700 after a win and .706 after a loss.
  • Chicago will play their next game at home against Denver. The Bulls have a W/L % of .517 after a win and .500 after a loss.