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Final Score: Without Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, Cavs come up short against Bulls

Despite a strong start, the short-handed Cavs come up short

NBA: Chicago Bulls at Cleveland Cavaliers Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Cavaliers were without Kyrie Irving for the third straight game on Wednesday night against the Chicago Bulls due to a hamstring injury. Kevin Love missed the game with illness after struggling through Monday’s tilt with the Pelicans. J.R. Smith, of course, has been out for some time now. It all caught up to the team during their date with the Bulls. After the Cavs jumped out to a big early lead, the Chicago Bulls came storming back with uncharacteristic three point shooting. They never looked back.

The Chicago Bulls 106, your Cleveland Cavaliers 94.

The Cavs did make this one interesting after the Bulls solidified their lead in the third quarter. Kay Felder, again, asserted himself to start the fourth in an otherwise uninspired game. He, and the Cavs, weren’t able to sustain their run. LeBron James came back in to hopefully push the Cavs back over the top, but Jimmy Butler reversed course after a disappointing first three quarters. He finished with a flurry of points and put the Cavs away.

There isn’t a ton that you can take from this game. LeBron James played a little over 37 minutes, which isn’t an awful amount. I’m not sure the Cavs came into this one expecting to win. If there’s a worry for me it’s guys like Channing Frye having to play 30 minutes. Hopefully he has enough left in the tank to be a contributor in May. In the meantime, it’d be nice if Kyrie Irving came back and swallowed up some minutes. He tends to be fun to watch as well.