Bulls can't keep up with Cavs
The Bulls' mantra of making a run once they get Jimmy Butler and Nikola Mirotic back from injury certainly held true Thursday.
Because they sure didn't have much going on without those guys.
The Bulls hung around for a while, but didn't have nearly enough to pull off another win over Cleveland. The Cavs kept up a comfortable lead throughout the second half and beat the short-handed Bulls 106-95 at Quicken Loans Arena.
Picking up where they left off before the all-star break, the Bulls (27-26) have now lost five in a row and 14 of their last 19. They have another tough one Friday against Toronto at the United Center.
The highlight for the Bulls was clearly the play of Derrick Rose. He hit 11 of 19 shots from the field to finish with 28 points. Pau Gasol added 14 points and 9 rebounds. Rookie Bobby Portis was the third-leading scorer with 13 points and added 10 rebounds.
The Bulls were as close as 48-42 at halftime, but suffered a familiar fate without much help from the supporting players and a defense that went south as soon as the deficit began to grow.
Before the break, coach Fred Hoiberg gave his players some homework.
"Whatever they've got to do over the break, look themselves in the mirror, find a way to get committed to this thing, so we can go out and go on a run," Hoiberg said after the Bulls' last game on Feb. 10.
Most of the Bulls earned a poor grade in the "What I did during all-star vacation" assignment. Mike Dunleavy hit 2 of 9 shots, Taj Gibson missed a couple of point-blank lay-ins, Aaron Brooks needed a 3-pointer at the final buzzer to get to 8 points.
Doug McDermott air-balled his first 3-point attempt and never got much better. He hit 1 of 6 shots for 3 points. The Bulls shot 39.8 percent as a team and couldn't even shoot free throws well, hitting 13 of 22 attempts.
The Bulls were 2-0 against the Cavaliers this season, winning at home on opening night and in Cleveland on Jan. 23. Butler and Mirotic were the Bulls' top two scorers against the Cavs, so they were in trouble before the opening tip.
LeBron James led Cleveland with 25 points. Kevin Love finished with 15 points and 15 rebounds, while Kyrie Irving added 19 points.
Just before Thursday's trade deadline, the Bulls sent veteran guard Kirk Hinrich to Atlanta, receiving 6-6 wing Justin Holiday and a second-round draft pick.
Gasol wasn't traded and talked about his status as an impending free agent at the morning shootaround.
"This is where I wanted to be and where I want to be right now," Gasol said, according to espn.com. "I don't want to give up on this team just because we're going through some difficulties and challenges right now. Things really haven't turned out the way I wanted them to, but at the same time, there are things that I couldn't anticipate. All I can do is continue to give my best. And I do still believe we can still turn this thing around a little bit or a lot and put ourselves in a good position.
"Whatever happens this summer, I don't know. Then it will be more of a process of evaluation wherever I am to make the best decision for the last few years of my career."
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Bulls scouting report
Bulls vs. Toronto Raptors at the United Center, 7 p.m. Friday
TV: Comcast SportsNet
Radio: ESPN 1000-AM
Outlook: The Bulls are 2-0 against Toronto this season. The last time these teams met, on Jan. 3 in Toronto, Jimmy Butler scored a franchise-record 40 points in the second half to rally the Bulls to a 115-113 win. Of course, Butler will miss this game with a left knee strain. Since early January, though, the Raptors have gone 14-2 and are all alone in second place in the East. All-stars DeMar DeRozan (23.4 ppg) and Kyle Lowry (21.0 ppg) are carrying Toronto, while C Jonas Valanciunas (12.3 points, 9.4 rebounds) is getting better. SF DeMarre Carroll has been out with a knee injury and isn't expected to play in this one.
Next: Los Angeles Lakers at the United Center on Sunday, 7 p.m.
- Mike McGraw