After huge wins versus the Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs this week, the Chicago Bulls’ three game-winning streak would come to an end with a 109-95 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday, December 23, at home.
The Bulls had no answer for Cleveland sharpshooter Max Strus, who finished with a game-high 26 points in the victory.
“It’s the grit, it’s the physical and mental toughness, and it’s one of those things where a group of guys just don’t want to disappoint one another, so they went out and played the game purely on both ends of the floor, but it just speaks volumes of their character and commitment to each other,” Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff said via the Associated Press.
The Cavaliers outscored the Bulls 32-30 in the first quarter, 25-16 in the third quarter and 27-23 in the fourth quarter to close out the game.
Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan led the team in scoring with 21 points, and center Nikola Vučević added 20 points and 12 rebounds in the loss.
According to Bulls PR, Vučević’s double-double versus Cleveland marked the 10th game this season that the center at least scored 20 points and 10 rebounds. Vučević is one of eight players in the NBA this season with 10 or more 20-point/10-rebound games recorded.
Vučević joins Nikola Jokic (22), Joel Embiid (21), Giannis Antetokounmpo (18), Anthony Davis (16), Luka Doncic (11), Domantas Sabonis (10) and Bam Adebayo (10) with 10 or more such games.
Final Score: Bulls 95, Cavaliers 109
With the loss, the Bulls are now 13-18 on the season and will play their next game versus the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday, December 26, at the UC. Game time is 7 p.m.
Joseph Phillips is the Sports Editor for the Chicago Crusader Newspaper. He is a Chicago native, who has been a sports writer for over 17 years. He also hosts the SC Media News and Sports Network Q&A radio show on WHPK 88.5 FM Chicago.
