CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Coach Mike Brown had a long list of compliments to hand out after the Cavaliers 97-93 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night at The Q.
He praised Kyrie Irving for setting the tone and pushing the pace, Tristan Thompson for his double double (14 points and 14 rebounds), Anderson Varejao for his activity defensively, Dion Waiters for his 20 points off the bench.
"And then Andrew,'' the coach said. On this night, he saved the best for last.
Andrew Bynum played his finest game as a Cavalier, finishing with season highs in points (20), rebounds (10), blocked shots (5) and minutes (30) as Cleveland snapped a five-game losing streak and a six-game losing streak to the Bulls in Cleveland.
"It felt good,'' Bynum said with a chuckle. "I won't lie to you.''
From the start, it appeared Bynum had more bounce in his step and his big dunk early in the first quarter as the Cavs took a 13-6 lead emphasized that point.
"It was actually good to jump and to see it wasn't too bad of a landing,'' he said. "I think moreso than anything, it's about getting more minutes and being out on the floor, getting my touch back and also being a little tired after four or five minutes and the coaches allowed me to stay in there and keep playing through that so I'd get in better shape.''
He looked fine on Saturday.
"I just played him how I felt I needed him,'' said Brown, whose Cavs improved to 5-12, 4-3 at home.
Asked if Bynum no longer had a limit on his minutes -- it has been between 20 and 25 -- Brown smiled and said, "Tonight he didn't.''
With C.J. Miles back in the starting lineup after missing four games with a strained right calf and Irving pushing the pace from the start, the Cavs raced out to a 20-10 lead over the Bulls, playing without Derrick Rose (torn meniscus in right knee) and Jimmy Butler (turf toe). They were still up at halftime, 56-51, and increased the lead to 77-66 heading into the fourth quarter.
But thanks to 27 points and 11 assists from Luol Deng, 18 points from Taj Gibson and a career-high 18 points from rookie Tony Snell, the Bulls, 7-8, would not go away. In fact, a layup by Snell gave Chicago an 88-87 lead with 3:59 left. The Cavs took a timeout, and when play resumed, they immediate went to Bynum, who sank a short jump shot and the Cavs never trailed again. They came close to being tied after Bynum missed an 11-foot hook shot and Deng grabbed the rebound with 18.1 seconds left and Chicago trailing, 95-93. The Bulls got four cracks at the basket inside before Thompson finally came down with the defensive rebound, was fouled and made to free throws to ice the game with 9 seconds left.
That might have been the most important play of the night, but the biggest contribution -- and the most hope -- came from Bynum.
"Tonight everybody saw a little bit of what Andrew is capable of bringing to the table for us,'' Brown said. "He's a guy who hadn't played in over a year. So to continue to have patience with him, understanding that it's a process, is something that we're going to continue to do. We have a young team, and we're still trying to learn how to play with him the right way, and he's trying to learn how to play with our young team.
"But I thought he was big for us offensively, big for us on the glass, big for us protecting the rim and, you could see, he's a willing passer. He's got a good feel for the game and he'll make the right pass, especially if he's doubled.''
Brown wasn't sure if the game was a milestone for Bynum, but it may have been for the Cavs.
"This is who he is,'' Brown said. "Even if he doesn't get his bounce back, he's so skilled and he's so big and so strong, if he just stays with it once he gets his timing back but, more importantly once we figure out how to play with him, I think good things can happen.''
