FINAL - CHI 96, CLE 81 ... The Cavs cut a 13-point Bulls' lead to a single point early in the fourth quarter, but Mike Dunleavy notched 10 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter to keep Cleveland winless on the road, falling to Chicago at the United Center. Four Cavaliers finished with double-figures, led by Kyrie Irving who notched 16 points in the loss.
3:39, 4Q - CHI 83, CLE 76 ... Dunleavy great pickup by CHI, now 3-5 FG off bench, 2-3 3pt FG; Bulls run off Kyrie miss, Rose (16 pts) scores in transition; Kyrie now 4-15 FG; Cavs bench has outscored opponents' in every game this year, but its 24-20 CHI right now.
5:43, 4Q - CHI 75, CLE 72 ... Both teams with four of five starters in double-figures; Kyrie now with 6 pts in 4Q -- 10 pts, 4 asst, 2 reb; once again, Cavs three-guard lineup --Kyrie, Waiters, Jack -- working for Cavs in 4Q.
11:12, 4Q - CHI 66, CLE 65 ... Kyrie hits a 3-pointer, now with 7 pts, as Cavs get as close as they've been since early 1Q.
End 3Q - CHI 64, CLE 60 ... Nice close to 3Q (which, again, is ALWAYS huge on the road); Kyrie began heating up, Cavs got three big stops to end it; three Cavs in double-figures -- Waiters (13), Thompson (12 pts, 12 reb), Bynum (11 pts, 6 reb); Cavs now shooting 45 pct, CHI, 39 pct; four Bulls in double-figures.
5:58, 3Q - CHI 53, CLE 46 ... The last sequence is exactly why Andrew Bynum changes a team -- blocks Jimmy Butler's shot, stuffs the put-back attempt and outlets to a streaking Dion Waiters for the dunk. Waiters now leads CLE w/13 pts, 6-10 FG; Tristan on pace for 5th double-double of the season, 8 pts, game-high 10 boards; Rose-Kyrie battle not much so far -- Rose 6 pts, 3-10 FG, Kyrie, 2 pts, 0-6 FG.
End 1H - CHI 45, CLE 36 ... Decent close of 2Q for Cavs -- Waiters, 5 straight points to cut it to seven, but an uncontested drive by Jimmy Butler to end it will probably get Mike Brown's Irish up in the halftime locker room. Bynum, Waiters, CJ Miles -- all with 7 pts apiece; Tristan, 4 pts, game-high 8 reb; Cavs already with 12 TO that have led to 17 CHI points; CLE 38 pct FG, CHI, 41.
5:56, 2Q - CHI 29, CLE 23 ... Neither team shooting 40 pct so far; Andy's looked good off the bench -- his first appearance as a reserve since 4/14/2010 vs. ATL -- now with 2 pts, 3 reb, 1 asst; Cavs 10 second-chance pts, CHI, 2.
End 1Q - CHI 20, CLE 17 ... Talk about even scoring: Every member of the Bulls starting lineup has 4 points. For the Cavs, Bynum leads CLE with 7 pts; Gee and CJ Miles w/5 pts apiece. Cavs shooting 31 pct FG, CHI, 40 pct; Cavs beating CHI on board, 12-7.
2:00, 1Q - CHI 16, CLE 14 ... Bynum exits game for Sims, Dellavedova and Jack in the backcourt, CJ Miles in the 3.
2:57, 1Q - CHI 16, CLE 12 ... Bynum has already made an impact in his first start, already with 7 pts, 3 reb and an assist (and looks like he'll play the entire 1Q); Gee, only other Cavalier to score - 5 pts on 2-3 FG. Cavs shooting 30 pct FG and w/6 TO already, but doubling CHI on the boards, 9-4.
Pregame - Plenty of storylines in tonight’s game. At shootaround and in his pregame media availability, Mike Brown hinted at making a lineup change. When starting lineups were released pregame, the lineup remained the same. But about 15 minutes before tip-off, the team announced Andrew Bynum will get his first start with the Wine and Gold. Anderson Varejao will come off the bench for the first time since April, 2010.
(Starters: G Irving, G Waiters, F Gee, F Thompson, C Bynum)
Tonight’s game also marks the first meeting between former No. 1 picks and star point guards, Derek Rose and Kyrie Irving. Both players and their coaches have said it’ll be just another game. But it should be a fascinating battle between two of the league’s best.
The Cavs got a big win in Chicago late last season, but the United Center is one of the toughest places for Cleveland to play. Since 2007-08, the Cavs are just 3-8 in the Madhouse – making it one of their most difficult venues to visit. (The toughest for the visiting Cavaliers is Houston, where they’re 0-5 in that timespan.)
Most NBA players listen to tunes during pregame. C.J. Miles – the Cavs’ music man who released his own album “No Camping” during the offseason – has a unique playlist on the road. He listens to groups/artists from that particular city. When the team plays in Chicago, he listens to Kanye West. Recently, he listened to the Roots when Cleveland traveled to Philly. (I’m assuming he’ll listen to Prince when the team plays Minnesota on Wednesday, but we’ll get that answer in a couple days.)
Whatever Miles has been listening to, it’s been working. He’s shooting an even 50 percent from the floor and an even 40 percent from three-point range. Only Jamal Crawford has hit more three-pointers off the bench than Miles has this season.