Sliding Cavaliers run over by Bulls in another loss

CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers' season is unraveling before our eyes. For a team that had aspirations of advancing to the NBA Finals, Cleveland continues to falter. The Chicago Bulls handed the Cavs their second loss in the last three days, 136-125, on Friday at Rocket Arena. Cleveland (15-14) has lost three in a row, as well as eight of its last 11. The Cavs' latest calamity is their defense. "We couldn't get stops," coach Kenny Atkinson said. "One hundred twenty-five points should be enough to win. We never slowed down this team in the three games we've played against them." Earlier in the season, they were plagued by a lack of rebounding. Now, it's transition defense. "We're losing too many of the sprint battles," Atkinson said. "That's the Bulls' identity. Their style of play has hurt us. That's becoming the style of the East." Atlanta, Toronto, Chicago and Indiana — and a few others — have reverted to a fast-breaking style of play. Unfortunately, in Cleveland's current state, it is unable to keep pace. It was outscored 20-7 in fast-break points Friday. The Cavs played without their leading scorer, guard Donovan Mitchell, and reserve guard Craig Porter Jr., who are both ill. Evan Mobley, Max Strus and Sam Merrill are also sidelined. It's all added up to a dumpster fire for Cleveland, which continues to lose to below-.500 teams. Soon, the Cavs will be there with them. Point guard Darius Garland is slowly rounding into form for Cleveland. He finished with a season-high 35 points and eight assists. "I'm getting healthy," he said. "I'm trying to find my groove. (My toe) felt good and you saw the results." Garland connected on 13-of-27 from the field and 6-of-12 from the 3-point line. Rookie guard Tyrese Proctor, making his first NBA start, added 16 points and six rebounds, while forward Nae'Qwan Tomlin added 15 points off the bench. "(Proctor) was really good," Garland said. "He shot the ball well. Same with Qwan. We want those two guys to be confident when they come into games." Center Jarrett Allen, held scoreless in the first half, finished with 14 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, two steals and one block. The shorthanded Cavs can't afford for Allen to take one shot in the first half. They need more from the veteran center. Chicago big men Nikola Vucevic and Matas Buzelis each had 24 points and combined to shoot 20-of-35 from the field. The 7-foot Vucevic pulled down a game-high 15 rebounds. Proctor, a second-round pick in 2025 from Duke, called it a "blessing" to earn his first start in the NBA. "I had some family here, so it was really cool," he said. "I just wanted to be myself and play free. I wanted to play my brand of basketball. I'm still learning on the fly. I try to take every opportunity to get on the court." Forward De'Andre Hunter and center Thomas Bryant each added 11 points off the bench for Cleveland. The Bulls (12-15) had seven players in double figures in scoring. Guard Josh Giddey finished with 17 points, six rebounds and seven assists. Chicago opened up an 81-69 lead in the third quarter before the Cavs embarked on a 17-4 run. The Bulls held onto a 101-99 advantage after three quarters, despite allowing 44 points to Cleveland. At the end of the first quarter, official Tre Maddox was knocked out of the game when he rolled his ankle. That left just two refs to officiate the game, Ray Accosta and Phenizee Ransom. Bob Finnan can be reached at rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X. Bulls 136, Cavaliers 125 CHICAGO (136): Buzelis 9-15 4-6 24, Okoro 1-3 0-0 3, Vucevic 11-20 0-0 24, Giddey 7-15 0-0 17, White 5-13 2-2 13, Williams 0-1 0-0 0, Collins 4-5 2-2 13, Smith 2-4 0-0 4, Huerter 6-12 0-0 14, Dosunmu 3-7 0-1 8, Jones 5-7 4-4 16. Totals 53-102 12-15 136. CLEVELAND (125): Tyson 4-10 1-1 9, Wade 1-4 0-0 2, Allen 6-9 2-2 14, Garland 13-27 3-3 35, Proctor 6-15 1-2 16, Tomlin 6-14 1-2 15, Travers 2-2 0-0 4, Bryant 4-6 2-2 11, Hunter 3-10 4-5 11, Ball 3-4 1-2 8. Totals 48-101 15-19 125. Chicago&emsp;32&emsp;34&emsp;35&emsp;35&emsp;—&emsp;136 Cleveland&emsp;32&emsp;23&emsp;44&emsp;26&emsp;—&emsp;125 3-Point Goals—Chicago 18-47 (Collins 3-3, Giddey 3-7, Jones 2-2, Dosunmu 2-5, Vucevic 2-6, Buzelis 2-8, Huerter 2-8, Okoro 1-1, White 1-5, Smith 0-2), Cleveland 14-39 (Garland 6-12, Proctor 3-8, Tomlin 2-5, Ball 1-2, Bryant 1-3, Hunter 1-4, Wade 0-2, Tyson 0-3). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Chicago 48 (Vucevic 15), Cleveland 46 (Allen 12). Assists—Chicago 34 (White 9), Cleveland 31 (Ball, Garland 8). Total Fouls—Chicago 14, Cleveland 17. A—19,432 (19,432).