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  Wednesday, Mar. 29 8:30pm ET
Cavs rebound in Chicago
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME FLOW

CHICAGO (AP) -- Bob Sura made sure he wouldn't have any reason to complain about this game.

A night after he slammed his team for its lack of unity, Sura scored 11 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter Wednesday -- including a big 3-pointer with 2½ minutes left -- as the Cleveland Cavaliers held off the Chicago Bulls 86-81.

"I feel like I've hit a lot of big shots this year in games we've won and made defensive plays in the games we've won," Sura said. "I'd love to be in that spot. I'll take that shot every time."

Lamond Murray added 16 points for the Cavs, including a big 3-pointer with 22 seconds left, and Shawn Kemp and Brevin Knight each scored 10.

Elton Brand led the Bulls with 27 points and eight rebounds. Hersey Hawkins scored 20 points on 5-of-6 shooting from 3-point range, and reserve Chris Anstey added 18 points and 11 rebounds.

The Bulls -- trying to recover from their own horror show, a 123-78 loss to Houston on Sunday -- have now lost 18 of their last 20 games.

"We played much better tonight and we competed, but it's a repeat of our last few games at home," Brand said. "We just can't finish them off."

The Cavs know something about that. Cleveland had a 17-point lead midway through the fourth quarter Tuesday night, but Toronto roared back and won 99-96. After the game, Sura blasted his teammates, saying they've never had team unity.

And Cleveland looked like it might be in for another fourth quarter collapse against the Bulls. After leading by as much as nine in the third, Ron Artest opened the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer and Anstey converted on a three-point play to bring Chicago within one.

"Our composure was really good tonight," Cleveland coach Randy Wittman said. "It was a different mindset, the look in our eyes. I didn't see the tentativeness or the, 'Oh my gosh' look like I did last night. I saw determination."

Chicago took a 66-64 lead with 7:55 left on a Hawkins' 3-pointer, but Sura was right there with his own 3. Kemp scored on a putback and a three-point play, and Cleveland was back up 70-66 with 6:52 left.

The Bulls cut Cleveland's lead to 74-73 on another Hawkins' 3, but Sura was there again. Kemp scored on a jumper, and Sura made a 3-pointer to give the Cavaliers a 79-73 lead.

"They were executing their offense better down the stretch," Hawkins said. "The shots they got were pretty wide open."

The Bulls had one last shot, cutting the lead to 81-78 with 42 seconds left on Brand's putback, but Murray responded with a 3-pointer 20 seconds later.

"The Bulls kept charging late in the fourth quarter, but we held on and pulled it out," Sura said. "We didn't do that the other night."

Game notes
Randy Brown hyperextended his left knee in a third-quarter collision with Andrew Declercq. "He's going to try and strap it up and go tomorrow night," Bulls coach Tim Floyd said. ... The Bulls outrebounded the Cavaliers 43-39. ... Simpkins had 10 rebounds. The Cavaliers were called for a technical in the first quarter for illegal defense. ... Cleveland has won five of its past nine road games.

 


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