Preview: Bulls at Cavaliers

[January 04, 2017]  Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Kevin Love is playing through a bout of food poisoning and the team is hoping he's closer to full strength when they host the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday. Small forward LeBron James also is battling an illness and point guard Kyrie Irving missed back-to-back games with hamstring tightness.

Irving is listed as questionable to play against Chicago while Love will be looking to bounce back from a 5-of-19 shooting effort in Monday's 90-82 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. "Can't have any excuses no matter what's going on with the team," James told reporters. "Has to be next man up and when guys' numbers are called they've got to be ready to go." Chicago snapped a two-game skid on Monday when star guard Jimmy Butler produced 52 points -- one shy of his career high -- 12 rebounds and six assists in a 118-111 victory over the Charlotte Hornets. "I was just playing basketball," Butler said afterward. "I didn't even know how many points I had. I just had a groove. Coach (Fred Hoiberg) kept drawing up the same play."

TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN, WGN (Chicago), FSN Ohio

ABOUT THE BULLS (17-18): Veteran point guard Rajon Rondo has been a poor fit with Chicago and sat on the bench the past two games. Michael Carter-Williams is serving as the starter with Jerian Grant seeing action in a reserve role, and Rondo demanded a meeting with general manager Gar Forman when it became clear Hoiberg isn't prepared to budge on the benching. "The decision was made," Hoiberg told reporters. "We're going with it at this particular time. That's not to say how it'll be the rest of the season, but it's just the way it is right now."

 ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (26-7): Cleveland is being patient with Irving's hamstring and has yet to run tests to determine the severity. Meanwhile, Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue said that Love feels he came down with food poisoning after eating a piece of fish on a New Year's Eve flight after a game in Charlotte. "We didn't think he was going to be able to play," Lue told reporters. "He came out there and gave us 24 strong minutes, which we needed. Just his presence on the floor was big for us and for him to gut it out the way he did was big for us."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. PF Taj Gibson scored a season-best 23 points and matched his season high of 11 rebounds as the Bulls notched a 111-105 home win over Cleveland on Dec. 2.

2. Chicago SG Dwyane Wade (knee) sat out Monday and is a game-day decision to play against the Cavaliers.

3. Cleveland G/F Mike Dunleavy (ankle) could miss his third straight game.

PREDICTION: Cavaliers 98, Bulls 92

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