The Chicago Bulls were defeated by the weakened Cleveland Cavaliers

The Bulls fell to 9-8 at home this season as they saw their three-game winning streak come to an end. They lost only for the fourth time in 12 games without Zach LaVine, who is nursing an inflammation in his right foot. DeMar DeRozan paced the Bulls with 21 points, while Nikola Vucevic contributed 20 points and 12 rebounds.

Outnumbered but not outplayed

Cleveland played without Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Caris LeVert. The absence of the quartet, who are averaging a combined 78 points a game, hardly mattered as all Cleveland starters scored in double figures.

Max Strus topped the Cavaliers with a game-high 26 points, while Jarrett Allen finished with 19 points, 17 rebounds, seven assists, a steal, and a block.

Ex-Bull delivers fatal blows

Craig Porter Jr. also scored 19 points, while Isaac Okoro and Dean Wade added 12 and 11 markers, respectively. Strus, a former Bull, took over in the endgame by scoring 10 of the Cavaliers’ last 17 points.

Chicago trailed by as many as 17 points but rallied within 85-90 in the final 7:08. Strus shut the door on the rallying Bulls by scoring eight straight points, allowing the Cavaliers to stretch their lead to 98-85 with only 5:33 left.  Cleveland improved to 17-13 in the season after securing their eighth win in 14 away games.