Bulls-Cavaliers Preview

By JEFF BARTL
Posted Dec 05 2012 12:27AM

Kyrie Irving's absence caused enough headaches for the Cleveland Cavaliers well before having to contend with a hobbled Dion Waiters.

Beating the Chicago Bulls has been a challenging chore no matter who is in the lineup.

Waiters may miss a second straight game as Cleveland looks to avoid a 10th consecutive loss to visiting Chicago on Wednesday night.

Cleveland (4-14) is 2-6 since Irving broke his left index finger, and he's expected to miss at least another two weeks. Waiters, averaging 15.2 points per game, then sprained his ankle in the second overtime of Saturday's 118-117 loss to Portland, keeping him out of Monday's 89-79 defeat at Detroit.

Coach Byron Scott isn't sure if the rookie and fourth overall pick will be able to go Wednesday.

"He didn't practice (Tuesday), so he's 50-50," Scott said. "It's going to be a game-time decision."

Even with both Irving and Waiters in the lineup Nov. 2, the Bulls blew out the Cavaliers 115-86 for their fifth straight victory in Cleveland.

"Well, it's terrifying to think about playing the Bulls without Kyrie and (Waiters), but everyone laces them up the same way," Scott said. "You've got to come out there and compete no matter who's on the floor. That's the bottom line."

Scott suggested he may go with a different starting lineup after the Cavs were down 30-17 at the end of the first quarter Monday.

"We got back into the game, but we never got anything going on offense," Scott said. "Just looking at that aspect of it, I would have to say I'm 75 percent sure it won't be the same (starting) lineup."

Anderson Varejao continued doing his part, though, finishing with 17 points and 18 rebounds against Detroit for his ninth consecutive double-double. He's recorded at least 15 rebounds in each game while averaging 16.0 points and 17.7 boards in that stretch.

Varejao, trying to become the first player grab 15 or more rebounds in 10 consecutive games since Kevin Love did so from Nov. 22-Dec. 11, 2010, leads the NBA with 15.4 per contest. He was limited to five, though, in last month's loss to Chicago.

That marked the ninth consecutive win in the series for the Bulls, who shot a season-best 63.8 percent in that contest.

Chicago (8-8) wasn't nearly as good Tuesday, shooting 38.4 percent while setting a season low for points in an 80-76 loss to Indiana. Nate Robinson scored a team-high 19 points off the bench but finished 5 of 13 from the field and committed four turnovers, including three in the fourth quarter.

"Something we have to do is take care of the ball down the stretch," Robinson said. "For this loss, I definitely take the blame. Down the stretch I have to be smarter with the ball and make the right plays and execute."

Luol Deng shot 5 of 15 and scored 17 points while Carlos Boozer added 14 and 10 rebounds for the Bulls, who will be without Richard Hamilton indefinitely after he suffered a torn plantar fascia in his left foot during Saturday's 93-88 win over Philadelphia.

Boozer, who spent his first two NBA seasons with the Cavs, is averaging 18.8 points and 10.8 rebounds in his last four visits to Cleveland. He scored a game-high 19 points last month.

Belinelli, Deng lead Bulls over Cavaliers 95-85

By STEVE HERRICK
Posted Dec 05 2012 11:33PM

CLEVELAND (AP) The Chicago Bulls got a boost from an unexpected source Wednesday night.

Marco Belinelli, starting his second straight game in place of injured shooting guard Richard Hamilton, scored a season-high 23 points and the Chicago Bulls took control early on to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 95-85.

Belinelli helped the Bulls bounce back from a four-point home loss to Indiana on Tuesday, a game in which he scored only six points in 24 minutes. He looked like a different player against the Cavaliers, going 7 for 15 from the field.

"Marco scored in different ways tonight," Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau said. "He drove, he got to the line, he was able to catch-and-shoot. He's a very good catch-and-shoot player, so we wanted to play off that. Each day, he's playing better."

"It was good for me to get going early, and my teammates looked to find me, which was good," Belinelli said. "I was just going to be aggressive and keep trying my best."

Luol Deng added 22 points for Chicago, which went ahead for good less than two minutes in and shot 66.7 percent in the first quarter.

The Cavaliers have lost 13 of 15 and are 2-7 since point guard Kyrie Irving broke his left index finger last month. Anderson Varejao recorded his 10th straight double-double with 11 points and 15 rebounds - his 10th straight game with at least 15 boards.

Cleveland played without Irving and Dion Waiters, its two leading scorers. Waiters missed his second straight game with a sprained left ankle. Irving, the reigning rookie of the year, averages 22.9 points and Waiters 15.2.

"We've got to play a damn near perfect game on both ends of the floor," Cavaliers coach Byron Scott said. "The effort has been great. It was great tonight. We're just going to keep working. That's the only thing we can do."

Donald Sloan scored a season-high 14 points to lead Cleveland.

All five Chicago starters reached double figures. Joakim Noah had 13 points and 15 rebounds, Kirk Hinrich scored 11, and Carlos Boozer had 10 points and 12 boards.

Cleveland has dropped 10 consecutive games against Chicago.

Both teams were shorthanded in the backcourt. The Bulls again played without Hamilton, who sustained a left plantar fascia tear in Saturday's game against Philadelphia. He missed Tuesday's and could be sidelined for two weeks.

Chicago, which moved one game over .500, has played the entire season without point guard Derrick Rose, who underwent reconstructive surgery on his left knee during last season's playoffs.

"It takes time, but we're getting there," Deng said. "We've got a lot of guys who are new to the system."

While the Bulls, who had the best regular-season record in the Eastern Conference a year ago, can withstand injuries to key players, the Cavaliers aren't at that stage. Scott, however, won't use injuries as an excuse.

"It's the NBA," he said. "We're not the only team going through having some guys who are hurt that you wish were out there. We'll play the guys we have available. We're not going to cry about the guys who aren't here."

Cleveland was plagued by a slow start for the second straight game. The Cavaliers led 4-3, but it didn't take long for the Bulls to seize control. Chicago led 19-8 with just over four minutes to play in the quarter. The Bulls were 12 of 18 from the field in the period and led 27-11 going into the second quarter.

Cleveland trailed 30-17 after one quarter in Tuesday's loss to Detroit. The Bulls built a 45-27 lead, but the Cavaliers scored the last eight points of the quarter to trail by 10 at halftime. Cleveland briefly cut the lead to five and trailed 72-63 going into the fourth quarter. The Bulls maintained a double-figure lead for most of the final period.

Noah was hit with a technical for arguing a foul call against teammate Taj Gibson in the fourth quarter. Cleveland guard Jeremy Pargo was also given a technical for throwing the ball off Belinelli's face later in the quarter. Belinelli fouled Pargo going to the basket, after which Pargo tossed the ball behind him, hitting the Chicago player.

NOTES: The Bulls haven't lost a regular-season game to the Cavaliers since March 19, 2010. Cleveland beat Chicago in the first round of the playoffs that season ... Chicago, in a stretch of four games in five nights, plays at Detroit on Friday. ... Cleveland travels to Minnesota on Friday.

Notebook: Bulls 95, Cavaliers 85

Brian Dulik, for NBA.com
Posted Thu Dec 06, 2012 12:23 AM - Updated Thu Dec 06, 2012 12:23 AM

THE FACTS: Shooting guard Marco Belinelli scored 10 of his season-high 23 points in the first quarter as the Chicago Bulls beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 95-85 at Quicken Loans Arena. Small forward Luol Deng added 22 points for Chicago, while center Joakim Noah had 13 points, 15 rebounds and five assists. Cleveland point guard Donald Sloan scored a season-high 14 points off the bench, while center Anderson Varejao collected 11 points and 15 rebounds. The Bulls have won 10 straight games over the Cavaliers, including six in a row in Cleveland.

QUOTABLE: "It was good for me tonight to get going early, and my teammates looked to find me, which was good. I was just going to be aggressive and keep trying my best."
-- Bulls shooting guard Marco Belinelli

THE STAT: NBA rebounding leader Varejao posted his 10th straight double-double despite missing 12 of his 16 field goal attempts. The mop-topped Brazilian also extended his streak of games with at least 15 total rebounds and five offensive boards to 10 in a row -- just two shy of the NBA record of 12 set by Houston center Moses Malone in 1978-1979. "Do I like playing against him→ No," Noah said. "But I've got to give credit where credit is due. He's one of those guys that never takes a play off. I really respect him on and off the court."

TURNING POINT: After the Cavaliers pulled within 64-59 on two Tyler Zeller free throws with 1:51 left in the third, the Bulls ended the quarter on an 8-4 run to extend their lead to nine. Point guard Kirk Hinrich scored Chicago's final six points in the frame, while Noah added a rare mid-range jumper for the other two. Cleveland never got closer than nine points the rest of the way. "We felt like we had a chance, but we just ran out of gas," said Zeller, a rookie center from North Carolina. "Give them credit for keeping their foot down."

QUOTABLE II: "I'm proud of our guys. They're battling. But that's the problem right now with us. We've got to play a damn-near perfect game on both ends of the floor to win."
-- Cavaliers coach Byron Scott

HOT: Bulls power forward Carlos Boozer notched his eighth double-double of the season with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Noah also posted his eighth double-double this winter, while his 15 boards matched a season high. ... Chicago has won three of its last four games to move back above .500 at 9-8. ... Varejao had five offensive boards, keeping him atop the NBA leaders in that category with 110. "I know his brother (Sandro) pretty well, but (Anderson) seems nice, too," Noah said, smiling. "Brazilians are usually pretty cool people."

NOT: Cavaliers small forward Alonzo Gee was benched by Scott for poor defensive play just two minutes into the game. "It was just to let him know that it's not acceptable," the coach explained. "I bawled him out, talked to him about it, waited a couple of minutes, and put him back in." ... Cleveland point guard Jeremy Pargo shot 3-of-12 and only dished out four assists in 29 minutes. ... The Cavaliers are 2-7 since losing reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irving to a broken left index finger on Nov. 17 against Dallas.

QUOTABLE III: "We all knew Marco could play. He's just been struggling with his rhythm and getting used to playing with us. It takes time, but we're getting there."
-- Bulls small forward Luol Deng

GOOD MOVE: Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau gave Belinelli his second straight start in place of injured shooting guard Richard Hamilton (left plantar fascia tear) -- resisting the urge to go with Jimmy Butler or Nate Robinson. Belinelli responded by sinking his first four shots and scoring 12 points in the first 14 minutes, powering the Bulls out to a 31-14 advantage. "Marco is a very good catch-and-shoot player, so we wanted to play off that," Thibodeau said. "Each day, he's doing better for us."

BAD MOVE: Noah picked up a technical foul early in the fourth quarter after protesting a foul call that went against Bulls power forward Taj Gibson. "There is an appropriate way to address an official, and our team has to learn that," Thibodeau said. ... Pargo also was called for a technical in the final period when he flung the ball backward after being fouled by Belinelli -- and struck the Italian sharpshooter squarely on the nose. "It bled a little right away, but I'm OK now," Belinelli said.

NOTABLE: Hamilton is traveling with the Bulls, but Thibodeau said before the game that he is "probably going to be (out) a week or two." The 13-year veteran was injured Saturday against Philadelphia. ... Cavaliers rookie shooting guard Dion Waiters (left ankle sprain) missed his second straight contest. ... Irving (left index finger fracture) practiced shooting on the arena's main court before the game, but is not expected to return to Cleveland's lineup until mid-December. ... Cavaliers power forward Kevin Jones -- an undrafted rookie from West Virginia -- was on the active roster for the first time as a professional, but did not play.

UP NEXT: For the Bulls, Friday @ Detroit, Saturday vs. New York, Tuesday vs. L.A. Clippers. For the Cavaliers, Friday @ Minnesota, Saturday vs. Detroit, Tuesday vs. L.A. Lakers.

• Bulls: Hamilton, Rose
• Cavaliers: Irving, Waiters

• Bulls: Noah
• Cavaliers: Pargo

• Lead Changes: 3
• Times Tied: 0

• Arena: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH
• Officials: #49 Tom Washington, #30 John Goble, #66 Haywoode Workman
• Attendance: 17893
• Duration: 2:09