The Chicago Bulls defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 118-117 in their preseason opener on Tuesday at Rocket Arena. Matas Buzelis led the visitors with 19 points and eight rebounds.
Cleveland started strong with a 37-26 first-quarter lead. The Bulls responded with 31 points in the second to trail 57-57 at halftime.
Buzelis scored 13 points in the first half on 5-of-7 shooting. Zach Collins added 16 points off the bench for Chicago.
Ayo Dosunmu contributed 12 points and three assists. Jevon Carter tallied 10 points with four steals in the fourth quarter.
De’Andre Hunter paced the Cavaliers with 17 points and seven rebounds. Craig Porter Jr. matched him with 17 points and four assists.
Tyrese Proctor scored 14 points, including three three-pointers. Nae’Qwan Tomlin added 11 points with two steals.
Chicago shot 51.9% from the field and scored 58 points in the paint. The Bulls outscored Cleveland 28-17 in fast breaks.
The third quarter ended with Chicago leading 83-90. Cleveland tied it at 109-109 on a three-pointer by Thomas Bryant with under three minutes left.
Carter’s layup with 37 seconds left gave Chicago a 118-116 edge. Porter Jr. missed the second of two free throws that clinched the outcome.
The Bulls scored 58 points in the paint and outpaced Cleveland 28-17 in fast breaks. Chicago shot 51.9% from the field while forcing 15 turnovers.
Buzelis grabbed five offensive rebounds in the first half alone. Hunter pulled down seven boards to go with his scoring.
Dosunmu drained a three to cap a 10-0 run that erased the deficit midway through the second. The Bulls’ bench tallied 60 points compared to Cleveland’s 50.
Nae’Qwan Tomlin contributed 11 points and two steals for the Cavaliers. Chicago grabbed 51 rebounds to the hosts’ 32.
Tyrese Proctor added 14 points, including three threes in the fourth. The Bulls converted 21 of 29 free throws at 72.4%.
