James, Cavs too much for Bulls
RECAP | BOXSCORE
11-09-2005
LeBron James throws down one of many highlight reel dunks
The Cleveland Cavaliers outscored the Bulls 32-24 in the fourth quarter to hand the Bulls their third straight loss of the season and evening the Bulls record at 4-4. LeBron James had 25 points, five rebounds, five assists and five blocked shots, leading the Cavs fourth quarter charge.
The Cavs led 71-70 after three quarters before opening the final quarter on a 17-7 run. The Bulls were able to cut the lead to six points, but Cleveland kept them at bay.
Ben Gordon was replaced in the starting lineup by Joe Johnson, who shot 3-for-10 from the field for eight points. Gordon went just 1-for-5 off the bench, finishing with three points.
"Ben has not been shooting the ball well and not defending well," explained coach Scott Skiles. "I felt Joe would be a better matchup against LeBron, but [the lineup change] didn't really work out the way I expected."
Johnson scored six straight points during a 8-0 Bulls run to open the second quarter, but managed just two more points. Gordon played just 13 minutes and was completely out of sync.
"We might stick with this lineup for awhile or we could look at some other combinations," Skiles said. "We need someone to step in [at the shooting guard position] and give us some consistency."
"I don't blame him," Gordon said of Skiles decision to bench him. "I've been stinking it up the last few games. I'd rather be starting, obviously, but I'll do whatever my team needs me to do."
The Cavs starting five accounted for all of their points, with Jamal Tinsley finishing with 25 points, including 5-of-8 from downtown, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas adding 24 points and 16 rebounds.
The Bulls bench did not fare much better, chipping in just 11 points. Luol Deng led the Bulls with 27 points, while Eddy Curry logged his fifth double-double of the season with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Hirk Hinrich scored 16 and dished out a season-high nine assists.