LDN - Sports

Bulls, Butler take down injury-ravaged Cavs

[January 05, 2017] CLEVELAND - Dwyane Wade has three championship rings, including the two he won alongside good friend LeBron James. But hobbling around on a swollen knee and struggling to find his shooting touch, the aging veteran turned to his protege on Wednesday night with a simple message: take down the king. So Jimmy Butler did.

Butler scored 20 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter, and drew a key charge on James in the Chicago Bulls' 106-94 win over the injury-depleted Cleveland Cavaliers.

"(Wade) came to me and was like, 'win the game.' So I guess a switch cut on," Butler said. "I knew I was going to have to do that in the fourth anyway, but with him telling me that, you can't let D-Wade down. He's been doing it for years. It was my time to step up."

LeBron James had 31 points, eight rebounds and seven assists while playing 37 minutes despite battling an illness while Cavs were without Kevin Love (food poisoning) and Kyrie Irving (right hamstring).

Butler started slowly two nights after scoring 52 points against the Charlotte Hornets, but he scored 10 straight for the Bulls during one stretch of the fourth quarter when the Cavs were rallying and finished with 20.

James left late in the third quarter with the Cavs down 13. They were within 88-84 with 8:49 to play when he returned. He immediately scored against Butler on consecutive drives to the basket and a third -- which would have given the Cavs the lead -- was waived off because of the charge Butler drew.

"He's coming at you full speed, that's the right play to make," Butler said. "It could go either way, obviously. You've got to brace yourself. I got all my pads here somewhere. We've got all of that for a reason."

Butler nailed a 3-pointer at the other end to keep Chicago in front and cool Cleveland's momentum.

"That was a huge play," Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. "You're in a heck of a battle any time you go against LeBron. That's a tough cover. Going one-on-one, Jimmy has his hands full. That was a big-time play by a big-time player."

Doug McDermott scored 17 points off the bench, including 15 in the third quarter, and the Bulls made a season-high 13 3-pointers after starting the night 1 of 8 from deep in the first quarter.

Jordan McRae scored 21 points for Cleveland, Channing Frye had 15 points and Tristan Thompson grabbed 11 rebounds.

The defending champs have been ravaged by injury and illness in recent weeks, yet this marked their first loss in a game that James has played since Dec. 2 -- also against the Bulls at United Center.

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Bulls forward Jimmy Butler (21) defends Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) during the second half at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Irving missed his third game with a right hamstring injury and Love is still feeling the effects of food poisoning he contracted on a New Year's Eve flight home after a game at Charlotte.

Love lost at least 10 pounds as a result and coach Tyronn Lue said his conditioned worsened in the 48 hours since he played 24 lethargic minutes against New Orleans on Monday. With the Cavs set to depart on a six-city, 12-day road trip, Lue is hopeful Love can play Friday at Brooklyn.

James' frustration over the lack of bodies, however, appears to be showing. He said it was never a question in his mind he was playing because "If I can walk, I can go." But that isn't the case right now with Irving or Love. Asked if this was a good time for a road trip, James said it will depend on the lineup.

"I don't know if it's going to be a good time or not until we know who's active and who's playing," James said. "See what happens."

NOTES: Cavs G/F Mike Dunleavy returned after missing two games with a right ankle injury. It was his first game against his former team after playing the last three years in Chicago. He missed the December game at United Center with a concussion. ... The flu/injury bug sweeping through the Cavs has yet to affect Tristan Thompson, whose consecutive games played streak reached an NBA-leading 404. "Just taking care of my body, just vitamins, rest and (being) lucky," he said. "Shoot, you got to get lucky sometimes in this game to be able to play every night and play at a high level. So the cards are in my favor, for now." ... Bulls F Jimmy Butler began the night averaging 35.8 points in his last four games. "He's such a complete player with his ability to score in the post. He can do it mid-range, he's shot the 3-ball very well," Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. "Off the dribble, he creates contact and is getting himself to the free throw line, and passing and rebounding. He's done a little bit of everything."

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