The Cleveland Cavaliers face off against the Chicago Bulls tonight, and both teams are trending downward. The Cavs have dealt with a plethora of injuries all season, and are now without Evan Mobley, who has suffered a calf strain. The team has alternated wins and losses over their last seven games fora 3-4 record, but lost to the Charlotte Hornets in overtime during their last matchup.
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The Bulls are eleventh in the East, losing to the lowly New Orleans Pelicans 114-104. They’ve hit a wall, losing eight of their last 10 games following a 5-0 start to the season, and hope to get back on track tonight.
The Bulls ended up taking the win tonight.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Chicago Bulls
Cleveland Cavaliers
| PLAYER | MIN | PTS | FG | 3PT | FT | REB | AST | TO | STL | BLK | PF | +/- |
| STARTERS | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Jaylon Tyson #20 | 32 | 21 | 8-10 | 2-4 | 3-4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -15 |
| Dean Wade #32 | 22 | 2 | 1-3 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -6 |
| Jarrett Allen #31 | 28 | 14 | 7-9 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | -13 |
| Donovan Mitchell #45 | 33 | 32 | 11-23 | 4-9 | 6-6 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -15 |
| Darius Garland #10 | 30 | 15 | 6-16 | 3-7 | 0-0 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -18 |
| BENCH | MIN | PTS | FG | 3PT | FT | REB | AST | TO | STL | BLK | PF | +/- |
| De’Andre Hunter #12 | 28 | 12 | 4-9 | 2-6 | 2-2 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | -3 |
| Lonzo Ball #2 | 17 | 2 | 1-5 | 0-4 | 0-0 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | -8 |
| Thomas Bryant #3 | 18 | 7 | 2-6 | 1-4 | 2-2 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -5 |
| Craig Porter Jr. #9 | 18 | 4 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Tyrese Proctor #24 | 7 | 0 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Nae’Qwan Tomlin #35 | 8 | 2 | 0-2 | 0-1 | 2-4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 |
| TEAM TOTAL | – | 111 | 42-87 | 12-39 | 15-18 | 45 | 26 | 20 | 6 | 3 | 16 | – |
Chicago Bulls
| PLAYER | MIN | PTS | FG | 3PT | FT | REB | AST | TO | STL | BLK | PF | +/- |
| STARTERS | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Isaac Okoro #35 | 31 | 12 | 6-7 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| Matas Buzelis #14 | 22 | 9 | 3-7 | 0-2 | 3-4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 15 |
| Nikola Vucevic #9 | 29 | 20 | 9-14 | 2-4 | 0-0 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 15 |
| Coby White #0 | 30 | 25 | 8-13 | 3-5 | 6-7 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3 | -1 |
| Josh Giddey #3 | 33 | 23 | 8-18 | 5-11 | 2-2 | 11 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 15 |
| BENCH | MIN | PTS | FG | 3PT | FT | REB | AST | TO | STL | BLK | PF | +/- |
| Zach Collins #12 | 16 | 10 | 4-8 | 1-4 | 1-3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Kevin Huerter #13 | 26 | 11 | 4-9 | 3-6 | 0-0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Jalen Smith #25 | 16 | 4 | 2-3 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 11 |
| Tre Jones #30 | 24 | 11 | 5-7 | 0-1 | 1-2 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 20 |
| Patrick Williams #44 | 11 | 2 | 1-3 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 |
| Dalen Terry #7 | 1 | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jevon Carter #5 | DNP | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Julian Phillips #15 | DNP | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| TEAM TOTAL | – | 127 | 50-89 | 14-36 | 13-18 | 47 | 35 | 15 | 12 | 3 | 17 | – |
Cavaliers vs Bulls: Game Summary And Key Moments
Tonight’s game followed a script the Cavs fans have come to know all to well. Cleveland came out sharp, lost control before halftime, and did well enough to survive in the third, but completely unraveled when the game demanded any defensive intensity.
What had been, up to that point, a competitive contest turned one-sided in the blink of an eye, with the Bulls taking control in the fourth quarter and never looking back, winning 127-111.
Imago
Oct 8, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis (14) drives to the basket in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images
Cleveland shot just 39.1% in the final period, turned the ball over five times, and completely allowed the Bulls to dictate the team’s pace. Chicago won the quarter 32-23 by capitalizing on these mistakes and slower recoveries, piling up transition buckets on lagged rotations. The Cavs never found a way to slow the game down once it started slipping.
That’s what makes this loss more concerning than the score might suggest, which is alarming enough already. The Cavs were completely exposed by one of the worst teams in the league, turning the ball over 20 times, missing 27 threes, and refusing to defend in space, feeding directly into the Bulls‘ strengths.
Donovan Mitchell did what he could, scoring 32 points, but couldn’t salvage the game. Until the Cavs rediscovers their defense, these endings will keep repeating themselves.