Cavaliers 108, Bulls 94
LeBron James scored 26 points and J.R. Smith made six 3-pointers while adding 20 points as host Cleveland rolled past Chicago for its third straight victory.
Kyrie Irving had 18 points and 12 assists and Kevin Love returned from a back injury to contribute 16 points and 12 rebounds. Timofey Mozgov added 15 points and 15 rebounds and Tristan Thompson grabbed 10 rebounds off the bench for the Cavaliers.
Jimmy Butler scored 20 points and Derrick Rose added 18 for the Bulls, who have lost six of their last eight games. Aaron Brooks added 16 points, Pau Gasol had 11 points and 11 rebounds and Taj Gibson had 10 points, 10 rebounds and a season-best five blocked shots.
The Cavaliers held a 25-point lead after Irving’s 3-pointer with 1:15 left in the third quarter but Chicago declined to go away and moved within 90-78 on Butler’s 3-pointer with 7:41 remaining. James hit two baskets and Smith hit a 3-pointer in-between as Cleveland scored seven straight to regain control.
Cleveland began separating from Chicago with a 9-2 run in the second quarter to take a 14-point lead. The Cavaliers led 54-39 at the break as the Bulls shot just 29.8 percent from the field, including a 1-of-9 effort from Rose.
GAME NOTEBOOK: SF Tony Snell also scored in double figures for Chicago with 12 points. … Cleveland collected 20 offensive rebounds while possessing a 54-40 edge on the boards. … Bulls C Joakim Noah (ankle) missed his third straight game.