Bulls vs. Cavaliers: Score, Highlights, Reaction from 2017 Regular Season

LeBron James showed up. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love were in street clothes. As for the rest of the Cleveland Cavaliers, they probably wish they were in Irving's and Love's shoes.

The Chicago Bulls shot 48.2 percent from the floor, led by Jimmy Butler's 20 points, as they cruised to a 106-94 win over the Cavs in Cleveland on Wednesday night.

The loss snapped a 13-game Cavaliers winning streak with James in the lineup. Irving sat out for the third straight game with a hamstring injury, while Love sat out with an illness.

James, who was also listed as questionable with an illness, walked away worse for the wear after bumping knees with Bulls guard Michael Carter-Williams.

Playing without his two co-stars, James watched the Cavs fall apart on both ends of the floor. The Bulls sank a season-high 13 shots from three-point range, with Dwyane Wade, Nikola Mirotic and Doug McDermott each hitting three apiece.

McDermott and Mirotic spearheaded a Chicago bench that outscored Cleveland's 39-23. Fifteen of McDermott's 17 points came as part of a second quarter in which he knocked down all six of his field-goal attempts. The NBA provided a GIF showcasing McDermott's knockdown shooting:

James finished with 31 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. He has played at least 36 minutes in each of the last four games and is averaging 39 minutes per contest over that span. The Cavaliers were riding a three-game winning streak coming into Wednesday night, but it continues to be dispiriting to see how badly they need James on the floor at all times.

After steadily decreasing his minutes in each of the previous three years, James is averaging nearly two more per game than he did in 2015-16. 

The Cavs did get a 21-point performance from Jordan McRae, who has reached the 20-point barrier in two of his last three games. The NBA offered a look at McRae's dribble-drive skills:

Channing Frye, who had 15 points, was the only other Cavaliers player in double figures. Tristan Thompson struggled his way to two points and 11 rebounds, while no Cleveland bench player made better than a third of his shots. Kay Felder, perhaps trying too hard to prove himself worthy of a regular rotation spot, went 3-of-11 from the field in a wild performance.

The Bulls also played their third straight game without Rajon Rondo. Head coach Fred Hoiberg benched his struggling point guard at halftime during last Friday's loss to the Indiana Pacers and hasn't played him since.

Carter-Williams had his best game since moving into the starting lineup, scoring 13 points and grabbing three assists. Backup Jerian Grant continued to struggle, finishing with five points on 1-of-5 shooting.

NBA writer Seerat Sohi did not mince words when it came to Rondo:

Silvy of Waddle & Silvy also seems to like the new starting lineup:

Taj Gibson, a member of a previously reshuffled Chicago lineup, also had a solid game. He finished with 18 points and seven rebounds on 9-of-10 shooting.

The Bulls have now reeled off two straight wins and will have a couple of days off before hosting the Toronto Raptors on Saturday. The Cavaliers will be back in action Friday with a trip to Brooklyn. It's unclear whether Irving or Love will be in the lineup for that game.

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Post-Game Reaction

Butler spoke of Wade inspiring him in the fourth quarter, where he scored 14 of his 20 points (via K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune): "A guy that wears No. 3 on this team came to me and was like, 'Win the game.' So I guess a switch (turned) on, and I was like, 'Yo, get a couple baskets and try to get some stops on the defensive end.' I think I did all right."

Butler also discussed defending James: "I love guarding LeBron, man. I love guarding all the prime-time guys in this league. It's fun. Like I always say, I don't run away from matchups. He's arguably the best player in the world. I want you to show me. You're the best player in the world. Go out and do what the best player does. I respect the (expletive) out of that. I look forward to it because then I get to go up against the best."

The Cavaliers provided a clip of coach Tyronn Lue's post-game comments: