The Chicago Bulls came off a rare two game break to go to division rival, Cleveland for a matchup against #1 overall draft pick, Kyrie Irving’s Cavaliers. Derrick Rose continues to rehabilitate his toe, giving CJ Watson another quality start against a guard line-up.
At no point did the Bulls lose control of the game. The only momentum that came from the Cavs, was in the first quarter, when Kyrie Irving hit three, 3pt shots in a two minute period. After that, Irving disappeared for the game and hardly gave us a show. CJ Watson is used to going up against a former #1 and MVP in scrimmages, so there was no surprise that CJ was able to hold the court. Watson finished with 15pts, 7asts and 2 steals, with the rookie Irving dropping 13 and 3 dimes.
Boozer continued his hot shooting, providing a lot of floor leadership in the absence of the MVP. Luol also found ways to contribute when the Bulls looked for production. The Bulls won in convincing manor, 114 to 75.
An interesting side-note matchup to watch, two of the leagues best arm-tanglers go crazy in the paint. Anderson Varajao and Joakim Noah did not disappoint in the overgrown thumb-war. The refs didn’t bother to call any fouls on either player for their aggressive patty-slapping. This was a match-up that we missed out on last season, with both Varajao and Noah missing the meetings with injuries. Despite LeBron leaving the Cavs, you can tell, these two look forward to the meeting to embrace their friendly rivalry.
Despite minor injuries to the Bulls big-men, the Bulls managed to eclipse the previous franchise record for blocks in a game. It was a team effort, with Asik recording 3 of the 16 total blocks. Deng, Noah, Gibson and the rookie Butler, all added 2 swats.
In game injuries: Joakim Noah turned his ankle in the 2nd quarter, but he returned to play later in the game. John Lucas III pulled his groin sometime in the game, but it didn’t catch up to him until the second half. He also played through the injury. Taj Gibson sprained hurt his ankle in the 1st quarter, the team is waiting on tests to know the extent of the sprain.
The Bulls defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers, 114-75 and move to 14-3 for the season.
Next Game: Saturday at the UC vs the Charlotte Bobcats. Start time is 7:00PM CST
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