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Augustin, Gibson help Bulls beat Cavs

Jan 23, 2014 - 4:56 AM CCleveland, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - D.J. Augustin scored a game-high 27 points and dished out seven assists to help lead the Chicago Bulls to a 98-87 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday.

Taj Gibson, filling in for an injured Carlos Boozer (calf), scored 26 points, Mike Dunleavy added 22 and Joakim Noah finished with nine points, 18 rebounds and six assists for the Bulls, winners in three straight.

"I think we're getting better and improving. We're playing good basketball right now, they're a good team. They crash the boards hard and battle. I'm just happy we won," Noah said.

Kyrie Irving scored 26 points and Dion Waiters added 15 points off the bench for the Cavaliers, losers in three of their last four.

"I feel like we definitely showed spurts here and there where we just looked really good. There were other times when we looked discombobulated on both ends of the court," Irving said. "That has been happening throughout the season. We're just trying to make strides, not only in the games, but also in practice."

Luol Deng, who was traded from Chicago to Cleveland earlier this month, provided 11 points and five rebounds against his former club.

The Bulls led by 12, 74-62, after Dunleavy's 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter. The Cavs used a 12-4 run to make it 77-74 with 6:54 left and the teams traded makes from there until a Augustin 3-pointer made it 91-81 with 2:24 remaining.

Deng made a pair of free throws moments later to make it a six-point game, but Dunleavy drained a 3-pointer from the wing with 38.9 seconds left to seal the win.

A pair of Augustin free throws accounted for the final margin.

Chicago scored the first seven points of the game and held a 15-8 lead with 4:18 left in the opening period. The Cavs pulled within three, 15-12, moments later on an Anderson Varejao dunk, but the Bulls held a 23-17 lead at the end of the frame.

Cleveland trailed 32-22 with 8:09 remaining in the first half, but a 19-4 run put the Cavs in front 41-36. Irving scored 12 points on the run and finished with 15 for the frame after going 5-for-6 from 3-point range. Cleveland held a slim 44-43 lead at the break.

The Bulls' lead swelled as large as 11 in third, 65-54, but the Cavs opened an 8-0 swing to make it a one-possession game. Chicago, however, scored the final six points of the quarter to take a 71-62 lead into the final frame.

Game Notes

The Bulls shot 52.9 percent (37-for-70) from the field ... Gibson tied a career-high with 26 points and Augustin tied a season-high with 27 ... Chicago plays seven of its next nine games on the road ... Varejao had 10 points, 11 rebounds and five assists ... The Cavs continue a five-game homestand with Milwaukee on Friday.