Derrick Rose scored 30 points, and the Chicago Bulls handed Cleveland just its second loss in 16 games, beating the Cavaliers 113-98 Thursday night.
Pau Gasol added 18 points and 10 rebounds. Tony Snell scored 22, helping offset a 31-point performance by LeBron James, and Bulls sent another strong signal that their recent struggles might be behind them.
They won their fourth straight after dropping 10 of 15 and entered the All-Star break with a 1 1/2-game lead in the Central division over the Cavaliers.
Chicago led most of the way against the NBA's hottest team and pulled away in the fourth quarter.
Nikola Mirotic will represent the Bulls in tonight's Rising Stars Challenge at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Tomorrow, Elena Delle Donne of the Sky and former Bull Scottie Pippen will play in the Shooting Stars Challenge. Jimmy Butler has dropped out of the Skills Challenge after aggravating his strained right shoulder on Tuesday. He still plans to play limited minutes in Sunday's All-Star Game, with teammate Pau Gasol starting for the Eastern Conference.
>>NBA All-Star Weekend Begins Tonight In NYC
(New York, NY) -- NBA All-Star Weekend is here. The Celebrity Game is tonight at MSG, while the Rising Stars Challenge is tonight at the Barclays Center. The slam dunk and three-point contests highlight the skills competition tomorrow in Brooklyn, with the All-Star Game itself Sunday at The Garden.
