CHICAGO — Guard Derrick Rose scored 30 points to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 113-98 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night.
Forward Pau Gasol added 18 points and 10 rebounds for his 14th consecutive double-double, which is the best mark in the NBA this season. Forward Tony Snell contributed 22 points for the Bulls (34-20), who posted their fourth consecutive win.
Forward LeBron James led the Cavaliers with 31 points on 12-of-26 shooting from the field. Guard Kyrie Irving added 17 points for Cleveland (33-22), which lost for only the second time in the past 16 games.
A shallow frontcourt hindered Cleveland. Forward Kevin Love sat out because of an eye injury and center Timofey Mozgov played in foul trouble for much of the game.
An aggressive drive by Rose in the final seconds of the third quarter gave the Bulls an 87-77 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Rose sprinted past Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert and split two defenders in the paint for an up-and-under layup to increase the lead to double digits.
The Bulls established a 55-48 halftime lead with a balanced offensive attack led by Rose, Gasol and forward Taj Gibson, each of whom scored in double digits before the break. The Cavaliers trailed by as many as 15 points in the second quarter but closed the half with an 11-3 run.
Chicago led 30-26 at the end of the first quarter behind 12 points from Gasol, who made five of his first eight shots from the floor. The Cavaliers opened the game with an 8-3 advantage before the Bulls responded with an 11-1 run.
James had four assists to break a tie with Hall of Famer John Havlicek for the second-most assists by a forward in NBA history. The 30-year-old James has (6,118) career assists, which is 18 shy of surpassing Scottie Pippen (6,135) for the league record.
NOTES: Cavaliers F Kevin Love did not play because of an eye injury that he sustained Wednesday against the Miami Heat. Love was diagnosed with a right corneal abrasion and complained of blurred vision after he was struck by Heat G Mario Chalmers during a battle for a rebound. … Bulls F Jimmy Butler did not play because of a right shoulder strain. Butler is scheduled to make his first NBA All-Star Game appearance on Sunday as a reserve for the Eastern Conference, but his playing time could be limited because of the injury. … Cavaliers F Tristan Thompson replaced Love in the starting lineup. Thompson, 23, has made 12 starts this season after starting all 82 games in each of the previous two seasons. … Bulls G Kirk Hinrich (left turf toe) missed his third consecutive game.