Wrap-Up – The Bulls jumped on the young Cavaliers from the opening tip and never took their foot off the gas, leading by 16 after one quarter and 25 at intermission en route to the 115-86 win over Cleveland at The Q. Led by Carlos Boozer, the Bulls shot a gaudy 64 percent from the floor. Cleveland had three players in double-figures, led by Kyrie Irving, who finished with 15 points. Anderson Varejao and Alonzo Gee added a dozen points apiece.
Turning Point – It was an quick turn on Friday night. The Cavaliers stayed within striking distance of the Bulls for three-quarters of one quarter. But with 4:41 to play in the first period, Luol Deng keyed a 13-1 Chicago run that put the game away early.
Game Ball – Alonzo Gee – On a night where nobody truly stood out, Gee went 2-of-3 from beyond the arc, netting 12 points and adding four boards and a steal.
By the Numbers – 17-2 … Advantage the Cavaliers had in second-chance points on Friday night.
Quotable – C.J. Miles on the pratfalls of a young team in the early season …
“ It’s a learning experience for young dudes – if you haven’t played many games – of how quickly it can go up and down for you. (Chicago)’s a good basketball team. But we have to do a better job of being the attacker and not the ‘attackee’. In the first half, I think they shot 67 percent. You’re not going to beat anybody allowing that.”
Seen and Heard – As part of their ongoing rookie initiation, Tyler Zeller and Dion Waiters walked out of the Cavs locker room and on to the road trip each with little girl’s backpacks. Dion had a pink Barbie backpack; Tyler was sporting Dora the Explorer.
Up Next – The Cavaliers stay in the Central Division, but hit the road starting Saturday night when they travel Bradley Center for a meeting with the Bucks, their first road contest of the season. After that, the Wine and Gold travel to L.A. for a Monday night meeting with the Clippers, Oakland for a Wednesday matchup against the Warriors, Friday against Phoenix, Sunday against the Western Conference Champs in OKC and wrapping up the following Tuesday against the Nets in Brooklyn.