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The Chicago Bulls were defeated by the weakened Cleveland Cavaliers

The Bulls failed to capitalize on Cleveland's manpower woes.
Nick Raguz|
© Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

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Chicago Bulls

Ranged against an opponent missing four key players, the Chicago Bulls performed badly and succumbed to a disappointing 95-109 loss to the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday night. Chicago couldn’t capitalize on Cleveland’s manpower woes, struggling to get into a good rhythm that led to its 18th loss against 13 wins in the season.

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.

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Nick Raguz
NICK RAGUZ

Nick's journey has been an exciting fusion of basketball and the written word. A former basketball player himself, he possesses an insatiable appetite for all things NBA-related, spanning from the captivating tales of old-school NBA to intriguing statistics and the latest updates from the association.

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