The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Chicago Bulls 106-91 in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals to tie the series 1-1. LeBron James had a game-high 33 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists. Kyrie Irving added 21 points for the Cavaliers. Jimmy Butler finished with a team-high 18 points for the Bulls.
Cleveland came out to a blazing first four and a half minutes of the game, where they earned a 13-2 lead. The Bulls committed 4 turnovers in that span. Iman Shumpert hit all three of his three-point attempts. The Cavaliers lead reached 21-6 and they finished the quarter 17-11.
LeBron James had 14 points and Iman Shumpert had 10 points in the first quarter. The Cavaliers hit five of their six three-point attempts. The Bulls shot 33 percent, had seven turnovers, and the Cavaliers scored 13 points off of those turnovers and shot 65 percent in the opening quarter. Cavaliers led 38-18 after the first.
The Bulls won the second quarter 27-26, picking up their offense, but the Cavaliers kept up their hot shooting, especially from three. The Cavs shot 9-for-15 from three in the first half, including four makes from Iman Shumpert.
LeBron finished the first half with 22 points on 18 shots, his most attempts ever in one half of a playoff game. Jimmy Butler was the only Bulls player in double figures at halftime with 11 points. Cavs led 64-45 at halftime.
The only dent in the Cavaliers lead happened in the third quarter when the Bulls went on a 14-0 run midway through the quarter, but LeBron responded with his individual aggression and James Jones contributed with a pair of three-pointers after Iman Shumpert left the game with a strained groin.
The Bulls won the third (26-23) and fourth quarter (20-19) but their early deficit was too deep to close the gap. The Cavaliers shot 12-for-26 from three and while James and Irving combined for 54 points, the supporting cast made a difference in Game 2. Iman Shumpert and James Jones combined for 32 points and 9-for-16 from the three-point line.
Game 3 of Cavaliers-Bulls is on Friday at 8 PM EST on ESPN.
