Dwyane Wade scored 20 points and Jimmy Butler recorded a triple-double, leading the Chicago Bulls to a 117-99 victory Saturday night over the Cleveland Cavaliers, who played without LeBron James.
James missed the game with strep throat, and coach Tyronn Lue said he wasn’t sure how long the Cavaliers would be without the four-time MVP. Cleveland struggled as it often does without its star _ they are 4-19 without him since he returned to Cleveland in 2014, including 0-4 this season.
Chicago has won all three games against Cleveland this season. It took advantage of James’ absence to win its fourth straight overall.
Wade was 9 of 18 from the field and had 10 assists with eight rebounds. Butler had 18 points, including 13 in the third quarter, to go along with 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
Kyrie Irving led Cleveland with 34 points, hitting 13 of 25 from the field. Kyle Korver scored 14 points before limping to the locker room after taking a hard fall late in the fourth quarter.
