Game Recap: Giddey delivers as Bulls upset Cavs

Matt Marton - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese · Senior Writer · 2 hours ago

CHICAGO - In what was an extremely light night for NBA action, the Chicago Bulls (11-15) welcomed the Cleveland Cavaliers (15-13) to the United Center as the post-season tournament portion of the schedule can officially begin. This is a Bulls team that has been struggling for the better part of two months, going just 5-14 after an impressive 6-1 start.

What infuriates fans most about their struggles is the quality of the teams they have been losing to, as they have dropped numerous games to the league's bottom feeders. Leave it to Chicago to stink up the bed against the bad teams, and then come out firing against a playoff caliber team as Chicago delivered one of their most complete efforts in quite some time, topping Cleveland 127-111.

Those are the types of efforts the Bulls were putting forth early in the season, and despite going a long time without one, it's nice to see they still have that in them. Expecting things to continue as they have been, Cleveland jumped out quickly as Jarrett Allen scored the first two buckets on feeds from Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland, then Garland and rookie Jaylon Tyson caught fire from deep.

Garland hit three early threes, and Tyson added a pair as the Cavs built a double‑digit lead, at one point going up 28–16. Chicago answered through Josh Giddey and Coby White attacking the rim and Giddey finding shooters; Kevin Huerter and Zach Collins each hit threes, and Jalen Smith’s late layup made it 34–33 Cavs after one. It was the play of both Giddey and White that was a huge factor in this one, as the Bulls are at their best when both guys can deliver when called upon.

While the Bulls' starters did a great job battling back, it was their bench that took over in the second, flipping the tempo of the game. Whether that be Huerter (10 points), Collins (11 points), or Tre Jones (10 points), Chicago got plenty of production from their second unit, which has gone away during this tough 20-game stretch. De’Andre Hunter briefly stemmed the tide with a deep three, and Craig Porter Jr. created a couple of midrange scores, but Chicago’s pressure forced several Cavaliers turnovers and free throws for Jones and White.

The back-and-forth affair continued into the waning moments of the first half as Nikola Vucevic started to take over on the inside, while also finding Huerter for some open looks as the Bulls battled back to take a 62-57 lead at the half. After the break, Chicago blew the game open as Giddey orchestrated nearly every possession, repeatedly getting two feet in the paint while also setting things up for the rest of his offense. There is a reason he continues to climb the Bulls' all-time triple-double list, adding another with 23 points, 11 boards, and 11 assists.

Of the many players benefiting from Giddey's performance, Nikola Vucevic may have benefited the most as he was able to get plenty of easy looks on the inside as part of a 20-point effort, going 9-14 from the field in that effort. Even with Donovan Mitchell and his game-high 32 points continuing to have his way with the Bulls and Allen asserting himself on the inside, it was the Bulls who were weathering the storm as they shot 56% from the field in the quarter to push their lead to 95-88 after three.

Things started to get dicey early in the fourth with Mitchell going on a personal scoring flurry with deep threes and aggressive drives, briefly trimming the deficit. Despite that, Chicago had all the answers with Giddey probing, White attacking in transition, and Vucevic controlling the glass. Patrick Williams and Huerter chipped in timely buckets to push their lead to double digits.

From there, it was all about the Bulls' defense, and as strange as that may sound, it was the defense that stepped up down the stretch, holding the Cavs to just 23 fourth-quarter points to hand Chicago the 127-111 win. Giddey led Chicago with a triple‑double line of 23 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists, moving up the franchise’s all‑time triple‑double list behind only Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen.

White added efficient scoring in the backcourt, while Vucevic dominated the interior en route to a 20‑plus‑point night for each player. The Bulls shot 56 percent from the field and won the glass 43–40. Mitchell’s 30‑plus points and Darius Garland’s playmaking kept Cleveland’s offense afloat, but the Cavs’ 31 percent shooting from three and 20 turnovers proved too much to overcome on the road. Chicago moves back into third place in the Central with that win and will head to Cleveland to take on this same Cavaliers squad Friday.