Fast start leads Bulls to 99-92 Game 1 win over Cavaliers
CLEVELAND - The Bulls were looking for that same locked-in attitude they brought to Game 6 in Milwaukee.
They might have been even better at the start of Round 2 in Cleveland. Thanks to some hot shooting by Mike Dunleavy, the Bulls jumped to a 21-7 advantage on Monday at Quicken Loans Arena.
The Cavaliers came back twice, but the Bulls got the clutch baskets and big stops when they needed them and pulled off a 99-92 victory to take a 1-0 lead in this Eastern Conference semifinal series.
The Bulls showed nice balance as Derrick Rose led the way with 25 points, Pau Gasol added 21 and Jimmy Butler had 20. Dunleavy scored 13 of his 14 points in the first quarter.
The was a scare late in the game when Rose was favoring his right shoulder after running into a screen set by Cavs power forward Tristan Thompson. There were only a few seconds remaining and Rose left the game, but could be seen moving his right arm on the sideline.
Cleveland tied the score in the third quarter and the Bulls answered with a 15-0 run. The Cavs closed within 2 points a few times in the fourth quarter. Butler hit a 3-pointer off a pass from Rose to make it 92-86 with 4:30 remaining. A Gasol jumper made it an 8-point lead and Butler clinched it with a double-pump bank shot over Thompson with 30.6 seconds on the clock.
Kyrie Irving led the Cavs with 30 points, while Iman Shumpert had 22 and LeBron James finished with 19 points, 15 rebounds and 9 assists.
The Bulls shot 50 percent from the field and hit 10-of-18 attempts from 3-point range.
Check back for more on this game from Mike McGraw.