Wrap-Up – When a team has won 14 of their last 15 games, it’s forgivable to take a mulligan – especially in the second-half of back-to-back on the road on the eve of All-Star Weekend. That was the case on Thursday night for the Cavaliers, who never found the rhythm and saw the Bulls take the third game of their four-game season series – a one-sided 113-98 win at the United Center.
LeBron James, who’ll start his 11th straight All-Star Game on Sunday, led all scorers on Thursday, finishing with 31 points on 12-for-26 shooting, adding four boards and five assists – but also eight of the Wine and Gold’s 16 turnovers. Kyrie Irving, who’ll be making his third straight appearance in the midseason classic, finished with 17 points, seven assists and six boards, but struggled from the floor – going 6-of-18, including 1-of-3 from long-distance.
LeBron with 31, Kyrie with 17, as Cavs fall.
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Timofey Mozgov throws down a nasty dunk.
Go inside the locker room.
Watch full game highlights from Thursday's game.
Timofey Mozgov doubled-up with 13 points and 11 boards, but he battled foul trouble all night, picking up his fourth personal less than a minute into the second half. Kevin Love, who suffered a right corneal abrasion in Wednesday’s win over Miami, was a late scratch, so Tristan Thompson got the spot start for Cleveland – going 5-of-5 from the floor for 10 points and eight rebounds.
The Cavs didn’t shoot the ball well on Thursday night and saw Chicago convert their 16 turnovers into 24 points. The Bulls also took advantage of Love’s absence and Mozgov’s foul trouble. Derrick Rose, who the Cavs had kept in check in their first two meetings of the season, penetrated into the paint with impunity, leading the Bulls with 30 points and seven helpers. Tony Snell was also a thorn in Cleveland’s side, going 9-for-11 from the floor, including 4-of-6 from beyond the arc for 22 points.
Turning Point –The Cavaliers hadn’t trailed by double-digits since their January 13 loss in Phoenix, but they were in an uphill battle for most of Thursday night’s contest. But despite playing from behind all night, the Cavs were really never out of it.
Early in the fourth quarter, LeBron converted an and-1 to get Cleveland to within seven, 91-84. But Nikola Mirotic’s trey put Chicago back up by double-figures and keyed a 14-2 Bulls’ run that essentially put the game on ice.
By the Numbers – .867 … Tristan Thompson and Timofey Mozgov’s combined shooting percentage over the previous two games. The duo was a combined 16-for-19 in Wednesday night’s win over Miami and 10-for-11 in Thursday’s loss in Chicago.
Quotable – LeBron James, on the Cavs chasing the Bulls …
”We’re not chasing them. We just have to keep on playing well. We’re chasing ourselves. We have an opportunity for us to be better every day. As far as chemistry, we have a long way to go.”
Up Next – After Thursday night’s loss in the Windy City, the Cavaliers head into the Break with a 33-22 mark, now 1.5 games behind the Bulls in the Central after the season’s first half. On Friday night, Matthew Dellavedova will represent the Wine and Gold in the Rookie Challenge at Barclays Center. On Saturday night, Kyrie tries to become the second Cavalier in franchise history to win the Three-Point Contest twice, joining the great Mark Price. And on Sunday, both Kyrie and LeBron will take part in the 64th annual NBA All-Star Game at Madison Square Garden. When the Cavaliers return to action after the Break, they head to Washington D.C. to face the Wizards on Friday night.