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Chicago cruises past Cleveland

Mar 3, 2012 - 4:33 AM Cleveland, OH (Sports Network) - Luol Deng went 4-for-4 from three-point range en route to a season-high 24 points as the Chicago Bulls cruised past the Cleveland Cavaliers, 112-91, on Friday.

Derrick Rose added 19 points, nine assists and three steals, while Carlos Boozer contributed a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Bulls, who earned their fifth straight win.

Antawn Jamison paced the Cavaliers with 22 points and Ramon Sessions finished with 16 for Cleveland, which lost its fourth consecutive game. The Cavs played without No. 1 overall draft pick Kyrie Irving, who had the flu.

"I think Cleveland is a really good, young team," Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau said. "We caught a break with Irving being out, but Sessions is playing really well for them."

Chicago opened the game with a 9-3 run to take the early lead, but the Cavaliers responded with a 12-6 swing to knot the game at 15 just past the midpoint of the first quarter.

After Rose's three-pointer stopped the spurt and put the Bulls back on top, the remainder of the frame saw three ties and four lead changes until Deng recorded all eight of the Bulls' points in an 8-4 run that gave Chicago a 30-28 lead after one.

Cleveland started the second quarter with a brief 5-2 spurt to take a 33-32 advantage on Samardo Samuels' three-point play before the Bulls exploded with a 21-5 run that included three treys by Kyle Korver to jump out to a 53-38 lead.

Anthony Parker's long two-pointer and Sessions' shot from beyond the arc brought the Cavaliers within single digits, 53-44, but Boozer made 1-of-2 free throws and Rose converted a driving layup to give Chicago a 56-44 lead at the break.

"When you're coming down in transition, he's just one of those guys that has an unbelievable ability to get to the basket," Cavaliers head coach Byron Scott said about Rose.

Cleveland never threatened in the second half and the Bulls used a dominant third quarter to pull away.

Chicago led by double digits for the entire third quarter, but the Cavaliers did not let the game get away from them until Rose and Boozer alternated baskets in an 8-0 spurt to make it a 72-54 game with just under six minutes left in the frame.

The lead ballooned up to 24 points, 94-70, on Deng's three-pointer within the final minute of the third before Tristan Thompson's free throw made it a 94-71 game entering the fourth quarter.

Chicago led by 20-plus points for the entire fourth quarter.

Game Notes

Chicago has won its last seven games against Cleveland...The Bulls improved to 16-6 on the road this season, while the Cavaliers fell to 8-11 at home...Chicago held a 41-33 advantage on the glass...The Bulls went 10-for-20 from three-point range...Cleveland connected on 9-of-22 shots from beyond the arc.