BOX SCORE
By Sam Amico
FOX Sports Ohio
Jan. 11, 2011
CHICAGO -- For a while, there was hope.
And for the Cavaliers, that really says something. Especially considering they entered their first game of the New Year missing three starters in Anderson Varejao (cheekbone), Mo Williams (hip) and Daniel Gibson (thigh).
But in the end, hope proved not to be enough -- as the Cavs dropped a 100-91 decision to Central Division foe Chicago on Saturday night.
Despite losing their 14th straight on the road, the Cavs (8-25) gave themselves something to build on, playing smart and showing fight for three of the four quarters. They even held a 61-53 lead at halftime, largely because of their ball movement and 55-percent shooting in the first half.
Then the Bulls buckled down in the third, gaining a 32-9 advantage and taking a 15-point lead into the final 12 minutes. But just when you thought it was over, the Cavs came storming back, cutting the deficit to three late in the game.
"A great effort by a team that was obviously depleted," said Cavs coach Byron Scott. "But in the third quarter (the Bulls) came out like they were upset, and we came out like we were happy. I thought we needed to react to it a lot better than what we did."
Among the other promising signs: J.J. Hickson came off the bench to score a team-high 21 points and eight rebounds, while Leon Powe scored 14 in his first start. Also, the starting backcourt of Ramon Sessions (13 points) and Manny Harris (11) gave perhaps their finest all-around performances of the season.
"We didn't have the same focus we had in the first half (in the second)," Harris said. "It happens sometime in spurts of the game, but we let it happen a little too long.
