Chicago. Josh Giddey scored 23 points and Coby White added 25 points as the Chicago Bulls, with hot shooting, beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 127-111, in the game that was played at the United Center.
Giddey also recorded 11 rebounds and the same number of assists to tie his personal best with five three-pointers. Nikola Vučević contributed 20 points and nine rebounds in the first game of the series between the two teams.
The Bulls shot 56.2 percent and made 14 of 36 three-point attempts, en route to a convincing victory after losing eight of their last nine games. They took a lead of 15 points in the third quarter and, in the last period, they signed a rare victory over Cleveland, a team against which they had lost 12 of their last 13 games.
Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 32 points, but with the loss they fell to 15-13 after suffering their seventh loss in the last 10 games, a worrying performance for a team considered the favorite in the Eastern Conference. Jaylon Tyson scored 21 points, while Darius Garland added 15 points and six assists.
Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu missed his third straight game due to a sprained right thumb. The Chicago-trained player is the team’s fourth-best scorer, averaging 15.2 points per game.
“Rest is probably best, but it’s unlikely there will be enough time for it to fully heal,” coach Billy Donovan said.
In another duel, the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves 116-110 in the game played at the Target Center.
Jared Jackson Jr led the Memphis offense by scoring 28 points, distributing three assists and earning 11 rebounds, while for Minnesota, Julius Randle scored 21 points, provided three assists and earned five rebounds.
