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The Bulls led by as many as 16 points and never trailed. The
Cavs tied the game twice in the third quarter, but the Bulls
countered by scoring the next 15 points, leaving the Cavs to
play catchup the entire evening.
The Cavs were within 94-90 in the final minute but Chicago guard
Jimmy Butler banked in a jump shot over center Tristan Thompson,
sealing the victory and immediately shifting home-court
advantage to the Bulls.
Cavs guard Kyrie Irving scored a game-high 30 points and forward
LeBron James had 19 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists, but
the Cavs lost their first playoff game this postseason after
sweeping the Boston Celtics in the first round.
They will be without forward Kevin Love (shoulder) for the rest
of the postseason and guard J.R. Smith (suspension) for the
first two games of this series.
Coach David Blatt kept his starters a secret until minutes
before tipoff, ultimately deciding on Iman Shumpert to replace
Smith and Mike Miller to replace Love.
Game Two is in Cleveland on Wednesday.
(Editing by Cameron French)
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