Cavs Dominate Fourth Quarter (finally) En Route to Win
On Oscars’ night, the Cavaliers delivered possibly their Best Defensive Performance of the Year in a 91-72 win over the Bulls. The win was the second in four days over Chicago, and completed the season sweep of the Cavaliers divisional rival, who are currently on the outside looking in at the playoffs.
The Cavs led just 63-60 after three periods, but rode a 28-12 fourth quarter to victory. The team scored the first 11 points of the quarter. LeBron James scored 16 of his 37 points in the final stanza, and added 9 rebounds and 7 assists on the evening. James played over 46 minutes, getting just a minute and a half of rest for the game.
Coming off a much needed couple nights off, the Cavs looked sharp and fundamentally sound. The ball movement on offense looked as good as it has all season, as the team had 26 assists on the night. The Cavs also played phenomenal second half defense, limiting the Bulls to just 34% shooting and NO easy shots after the halftime break. The Cavs finished with 10 steals and 5 blocks, almost all of which came later in the game.
LeBron got better as the game progressed, scoring more points in each subsequent quarter, culminating in his dominance of the final frame. He was aided by Donyell Marshall, who actually made 3-7 from three point range and had 11 points. Drew Gooden added 11 points and 13 rebounds. Anderson Varejao also added 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and a block in 22 spirited minutes off the bench.
The win moves the Cavaliers to 34-26 on the season as they head into a Tuesday/Wednesday home and home with the 20-38 Toronto Raptors.