Wednesday night’s Central Division showdown was supposed to be a knock-down-drag-out between long-time rivals trying to build on strong starts to the season.
Instead, it was all Wine and Gold – who stifled Chicago from the opening tip, taking control in the second quarter and coasting home after intermission to snap a two-game skid with a lopsided 115-92 decision over the Bulls at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
The Division-leading Bulls were without their leading scorer, DeMar DeRozan, but it might not have mattered against a defensive-minded Cavaliers squad that allowed just 42 percent shooting from the floor, 27 percent from long-range.