Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Chicago Bulls: Postgame Grades and Analysis
The Chicago Bulls brought in the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday, a team that had won 14 of its last 15, but the Bulls ran away with it in the second half for a 113-98 victory, extending their win streak to four games.
Derrick Rose recalled his former MVP play and Tony Snell flourished on both ends of the floor. Snell primarily guarded LeBron James who scored a game-high 31 points, but LBJ also committed eight turnovers, as many as the entire Bulls team.
A 14-2 Chicago run midway through the fourth quarter ballooned the lead to 19 points and put the game out of reach. The Cavs lacked the intensity to match and never mounted a significant run to turn things around, getting outscored in each quarter.
Both teams played without one of their stars, as Chicago's Jimmy Butler (shoulder) and Cleveland's Kevin Love (eye) sat out. Snell elevated his play on national TV in Butler's stead, proving that he can shine on a big stage despite only being a second-year player.
| Derrick Rose | A |
| Tony Snell | A |
| Mike Dunleavy | C- |
| Pau Gasol | B+ |
| Joakim Noah | B+ |
| Rest of Team | C+ |
| Kyrie Irving | B- |
| J.R. Smith | B- |
| LeBron James | B- |
| Tristan Thompson | B |
| Timofey Mozgov | B |
| Rest of Team | C- |
Chicago Bulls
Derrick Rose, Point Guard
Derrick Rose continued his strong play since the calendar turned to 2015. He had 13 points by halftime, and he kept on going. He ended with 30 points, seven assists and two turnovers, repeatedly attacking the hoop and drawing ovations from the home fans.
Rose flashed his explosiveness at the end of the third quarter, going the length of the court and knifing to the hoop for the reverse layup with under a second remaining.
During his postgame interview with TNT's Rachel Nichols, Rose was asked to describe how he was feeling on the court in terms of his health. He said: "I’m feeling good. … My game is gonna come to me, so I just gotta be patient. But, like I said, tonight was about Tony." While he was being humble, he was also correct about Snell, who played a fantastic game.
Grade: A
Tony Snell, Shooting Guard
Tony Snell was called to a daunting duty: Guard LeBron. But he brought more than just defense to the United Center on Thursday. He made four of his first five shots and hit halftime with nine points to go with a game-high plus-21 rating.
Surely, the Cavs would adjust to Snell. Surely. But not so much. While LeBron found more scoring opportunities, Snell continued his offensive assault and finished with 22 points on 9-of-11 shooting, including four of the team's nine triples.
He also grabbed three steals and put a stamp on his signature game as a pro.
Grade: A
Pau Gasol, Power Forward
Pau Gasol had put down a dozen by halftime, and he was well on the way to his 14th consecutive double-double, as noted by the TNT commentators. He finished with 18 points and 10 boards, not to mention six assists, a steal and a block.
His instincts on the pick-and-roll also helped facilitate Rose's strong showing, opening up opportunities and keeping the Cavs defense off balance.
Gasol has been a revelation for the Bulls this year, and his steady stream of stats provide the Bulls with a reliable two-way player who can score in the frontcourt. (We're looking at you, Carlos Boozer.) But this team is playing for the playoffs above all—that's when they need his double-doubles the most.
Grade: B+
Joakim Noah, Center
Aside from the scoring, Joakim Noah stormed out of the gate with 10 rebounds and six assists through two quarters. He ended with 10 points, 15 boards and three dimes shy of a triple-double.
As so often happens with the Bulls, Noah set the bar for the team's intensity with his yeoman's work on the boards and in the paint during the first half. When the reigning Defensive Player of the Year has six dimes by halftime, it can feel deflating, and the Cavs looked like a New England Patriots ball boy had tampered with them.
Noah also took a shot to the face from LeBron during one rebounding battle, which can only add to the existing bad blood between the two.
Grade: B+
Mike Dunleavy, Small Forward
The shots were not falling for Mike Dunleavy. He clanked five of his seven field-goal attempts and ended with five points, the lowest scoring total for anyone in the eight-man rotation. At least he did play that annoyingly stout defense they teach at Duke.
Grade: C-
Rest of Team
Taj Gibson took advantage of the Cavs' lack of size on the second unit with Tristan Thompson forced into the starting five to replace Love. Gibson scored 13 points and grabbed six boards.
After sparkling play in November and December, the scouting report caught up to Nikola Mirotic. In January, his scoring dropped from 9.9 to 6.4 points per game, his rebounds dipped from 5.7 to 2.9 per game and his shooting sank from the field (43.9 down to 33.7 percent) and behind the arc (41.2 down to 26.5 percent).
Mirotic had seen only 10 minutes per game in February, but he played well for a stretch during the third quarter. His seven points should provide some solace during the All-Star break, but he still missed four of his five three-pointers.
The frigid weather in Chicago seemed to affect Aaron Brooks, because he was ice cold. Brooks scored eight points and made only three out of 12 shots, proving he cannot provide a reliably efficient spark off the bench.
Brooks averaged 12.5 points through 17 January games, even hitting 50.7 percent of his three-pointers, but he hit the wall in February. Over his last five games, he's averaging 5.4 points on 28.6 percent shooting, 1.4 assists and 2.0 turnovers per game. Perhaps the break will do him some good.
Grade: C+
Cleveland Cavaliers
LeBron James, Small Forward
James struggled through the first half, scoring 12 points on 12 shots and committing five of the team's eight turnovers. He also had just two rebounds and one assist by the break. However, that assist did put him in second place for career assists by a forward, trailing only Scottie Pippen, per the TNT telecast.
James bounced back from a rocky beginning with an 11-point third quarter, but the Cavs failed to make up any ground on their hosts.
He finished with 31 points to his name, leading all scorers, but he never lit the fire under his team. Eight turnovers look like a very crooked number on his stat line, especially considering he only had four assists and his team only had 16 total turnovers.
James was just 2-of-9 shooting from downtown, and he'll start All-Star Weekend with a bad taste in his mouth after a minus-27 rating in the loss.
Grade: B-
Kyrie Irving, Point Guard
Kyrie Irving put out a triple-double alert, with seven points, five rebounds and four dimes by the half. But he struggled to find his shooting touch, hoisting 18 shots and making just six. He scored 17 and finished well shy of a triple-double.
With Love out and LeBron stumbling through the first half, Irving failed to elevate his teammates when they needed him most. The electric point guard looked lackadaisical (to borrow Charles Barkley's terminology from the halftime show), the most visible example of the flimsy effort put forth by the Cavs in this letdown game.
They looked past the Bulls to the luxury of having the next seven days off, and it showed on the court and the scoreboard.
Grade: B-
J.R. Smith, Shooting Guard
J.R. Smith is known for two things: his shooting and his shooting. But he's also an active defender who generates steals, and he can even be persuaded to pass the ball from time to time. In a reversal, Smith went 3-of-10 shooting, but he did tally four dimes and three steals.
Grade: B-
Timofey Mozgov, Center
Timofey Mozgov has had a dramatic impact on Cleveland's frontcourt, bringing strength and size in the middle. He even threw down a dunk in the first quarter and showed off his surprising hops.
However, Mozgov picked up his fifth foul with 10:36 remaining in the fourth quarter and headed for the bench. The game was out of reach by the time he would have come back in. He posted 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting and snagged 11 rebounds.
Grade: B
Tristan Thompson, Power Forward
With no Love, Thompson found himself on the floor at tipoff. He had a very efficient game, making all five of his field-goal attempts to get 10 points and eight boards.
However, with Love sitting, you would hope for a more robust stat line from the Canadian, who was drafted No. 4 overall in 2011. The last time Love missed a game was Jan. 16, when Thompson exploded for a season-high 24 points and a dozen rebounds.
Thompson was fresh off dropping 17 points and nine boards on the Miami Heat in Wednesday's 113-93 win, so we won't throw too much cold water on his very adequate stat line against the Bulls.
Grade: B
Rest of Team
James Jones pretty much just shoots three-pointers, but that's fine for Cleveland's purposes. The only problem is that tonight he missed six out of the eight he threw up.
If Iman Shumpert ever finds consistency with his perimeter shooting, the Cavs will have a gem on their hands. He did hit a couple of three-pointers for his two makes on six shots.
Shawn Marion started the break early, playing just seven minutes and change. Twos were wild for Matthew Dellavedova who notched two points, two assists, two rebounds and two fouls.
Grade: C-
Coming Up Next
Both teams have a clear schedule until Feb. 20, when the Cavaliers visit the Washington Wizards and the Bulls travel to face the Detroit Pistons.
For now, All-Star Weekend kicks off in New York City with plenty on the slate. Friday sees the All-Star Celebrity Game (7 p.m. ET on ESPN) and the Rising Stars Challenge (9 p.m. ET on TNT). Saturday's festivities begin at 8:30 p.m. ET on TNT—the Shooting Stars, Skills Challenge, Three-Point Contest and Slam Dunk Contest. The All-Stars clash on Sunday at 8:30 p.m. ET on TNT.
