Game Recap: Bulls complete double dip knocking off Cavs |
Dustin Riese
· · 2 hours ago
CLEVELAND - After going more than 900 days without a win against the Cleveland Cavaliers (15-14), the Chicago Bulls (12-15) broke through with a massive win on Wednesday night. Beating a team that has owned them for the past three seasons is one thing, but doing it the way they did was impressive, as that was as good as the Bulls looked for a while.
Looking to put together their second win in as many games, the same two teams were back on the court Friday, with this one coming from the Rocket Arena. Whatever the Bulls did during their time off to figure things out, they would like to keep it going, as an impressive offensive attack led the Bulls to their second straight win against the Cavs, 136-125. This was a back-and-forth game most of the night until the Bulls pulled away late with Nikola Vucevic and Matas Buzelis slamming the door. Both men led the Bulls with 24 points, with Vucevic adding 15 boards to post an impressive double-double. Things didn't start the way the Bulls would've liked as the Cavaliers came out firing to open up an early 11-point advantage. Darius Garland was the Cavs' biggest reason for their hot start, as he showed the ability to connect from distance while also putting the ball on the floor, scoring 35 points. Chicago steadied itself with Vucevic inside touches and Buzelis jumpers, then Josh Giddey began to orchestrate in pick‑and‑roll to erase the deficit, and the quarter ended tied 32–32. It was in the second quarter that the Bulls began to settle into a nice rhythm, continuing a balanced offensive attack that saw seven players hit double figures while their defense took care of the rest. As has been the case more often than not this season, the Bulls’ second unit shifted the tone by pushing in transition and spacing the floor. Tre Jones and his 16 points were part of the bench, as were Zach Collins (13 points) and Kevin Huerter (14 points), as those three helped spearhead the momentum swing that saw the Bulls outscore Cleveland 34-23 in the second to take a 66-55 lead. As expected, Cleveland wasn't going to go down without a fight, and look no further than the third quarter as they did their best to battle back. Led by Garland’s playmaking, Cleveland responded with a considerable offensive effort out of the break that saw them torch the Bulls' defense for 44 third-quarter points. Tyrese Proctor added 16 points, with Jarrett Allen picking up 14 points and 12 boards as that trio shouldered the heavy lifting for the Cavaliers in this one. Even with the Cavs doing whatever they wanted on the offensive end, the Bulls had plenty of answers as they scored 35 points of their own against the Cavs to hold a narrow 101-99 lead after three. Expecting it to come down to the final whistle, Chicago leaned on Giddey to control the tempo in hopes of keeping the Bulls ahead. Although he didn't have his typical big game with 17 points, they didn't need him to be at his best as Buzelis and Vucevic started to take over in the fourth. A big reason for the Bulls' fourth-quarter success was their ability to exploit the Cavaliers' weaknesses on the floor, as they began to run more pick-and-roll offense to free up Vucevic in the paint. His play was essential when you consider Coby White had a down night with 13 points, as this was the type of game their big man needed to get back on track. Chicago will look to keep this sudden surge in momentum going as they will head to Atlanta for the first of two games at State Farm Arena on Sunday.
