Wade, Love, James Lead Surging Cavaliers Over Bulls

By ESPN

ron James could sense the Cleveland Cavaliers were starting to click the last time they lost. But a streak like this? He wasn't about to say he saw that coming.

Dwyane Wade and Kevin Love each scored 24 points, James had 23 and the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Chicago Bulls 113-91 Monday night for their 12th straight win.

Backed by a trio of stars, the Cavaliers matched their longest winning streak since the 2014-15 season. They dropped a tight game at Houston on Nov. 9 and haven't lost since. The streak started with wins at Dallas, New York and Charlotte.

"I'm not Nostradamus so I did not see the streak," James said. "But in the Houston game, I'd seen the way we played in that game. And I'd seen that if we could build off that game, then we can kind of turn the things around. That was a great road trip for us."

Wade made 9 of 13 shots in his first game in Chicago since agreeing to a buyout with his hometown team in late September. Love grabbed 13 rebounds and made 8 of 13 from the field. James finished 9 of 15 with seven rebounds and six assists. The Cavaliers shot just under 52 percent.

Kris Dunn led Chicago with 15 points. Robin Lopez and Justin Holiday scored 14 apiece as the Bulls fell to 3-19 with their ninth straight loss.

"When the lights turn on, for whatever reason, when things get tough, we stop doing the things that make us a solid team, that make us a team that gets a good shot," coach Fred Hoiberg said. "We stop running the offense and go back and try to get it all on our own. We can't do that. We have to keep playing together on both sides of the ball. ... Everybody has to be on the same page out there and we had too many breakdowns again."

STRONG START

The matchup between the three-time defending Eastern Conference champions and the team with the NBA's worst record went as expected.

Third in the league in scoring coming into the game, the Cavaliers grabbed a 61-45 halftime lead.

James scored 15 in the half, driving hard and hitting from the perimeter while Wade chipped in with 12 points.

James' jumper from up top in the closing seconds of the first quarter sparked a 13-0 run that broke open a five-point game. Wade scored six points during that stretch, helping Cleveland bump its lead to 40-22.

Love had 10 of his team's first 13 points in the third as Cleveland increased it to 74-50. And the Cavaliers remained in control the rest of the way.

ROSE'S RETURN

Derrick Rose ended his self-imposed separation from the Cavaliers. The point guard, who has been dealing with a sprained left ankle for much of his first season with Cleveland, returned to the Cavs on Monday to resume rehab and treatment. A frustrated Rose had left the team on Nov. 22 to contemplate his future.

Pacers 115, Knicks 97

The Indiana Pacers took it right to the short-handed New York Knicks and came away with an easy victory.

Thaddeus Young scored 20 points to lead seven Indiana players in double figures as the Pacers routed the Knicks 115-97 on Monday night.

Bojan Bogdanovic scored 19 points and Victor Oladipo added 16 for the Pacers (13-11), who led by 26 at half and 95-65 after three quarters.

"It's about ourselves," said Pacers point guard Darren Collison, who had 10 points and 10 assists. "I'm glad we didn't have a letdown."

The Knicks (11-12) were without leading scorers Kristaps Porzingis (25.8 ppg) and Tim Hardaway Jr. (17.8 ppg) for a second consecutive loss. Porzingis is dealing with a sprained right ankle and illness and Hardaway has a lower left leg injury.

"At the end of the day it didn't matter who was out there," Oladipo said. "We just know we had to come ready to play."

The Pacers had a season-high 31 fast-break points, 26 more than the Knicks.

"For the most part we did a good job of moving the ball and ended up with 28 assists," Pacers coach Nate McMillan said. "Everyone gets involved that way, with guys open."

Reserve Willy Hernangomez led the Knicks with 14 points.

"(The Pacers) had more energy," Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek said. "They got steals, we had some careless turnovers. I think they had 30 points with four minutes to go in the first quarter already. Indiana was just better."

Monday, December 4 Scoreboard

Charlotte 104, Orlando 94

Indiana 115, New York 97

Phoenix 115, Philadelphia 101

Brooklyn 110, Atlanta 90

Boston 111, Milwaukee 100

Cleveland 113, Chicago 91

Memphis 95,  Minnesota 92

Golden State 125, New Orleans 115

Dallas 122, Denver 105

San Antonio 96,  Detroit 93

Utah 116, Washington 69

Tuesday, December 5 Schedule (All Times Central)

Phoenix at Toronto, 6:30 p.m.

Utah at Oklahoma City, 7 p.m.

Washington at Portland, 9 p.m.