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Tyronn Lue’s NBA coaching debut went badly as the Cleveland Cavaliers heard boos from their home crowd in a 96-83 loss to the Chicago Bulls, who got 25 points and 10 rebounds from Spanish star Pau Gasol and stopped a two-game slide.
Lue replaced David Blatt, who was fired on Friday despite guiding the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals last season and a 30-11 mark this season, the best in the Eastern Conference.
But recent losses to San Antonio and defending champion Golden State led to his dismissal.
Lue made some minor tweaks to the rotation on Saturday night but was unable to reverse Cleveland’s record against the NBA’s elite.
The Cavs (30-12) are a combined 1-5 against Golden State, San Antonio, Oklahoma City and Chicago.
LeBron James collected 26 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists but made just 11-of-27 shots for Cleveland, which shot just 37 per cent (35-of-94) from the field, including 4-of-24 from three-point range.
The Cavs also made just 9-of-22 free throws.
Gasol’s jumper gave the Bulls a 53-47 lead in the third quarter and triggered a 21-8 burst.
The surge featured two more buckets by Gasol and nine points from Montenegro’s Nikola Mirotic.
As the margin grew to 17 points late in the period, fans at Quicken Loans Arena began booing.
Jimmy Butler scored 20 points, Mirotic added 17 and Gibson had 15 for the Bulls, who shot 44 per cent (38-of-87) and improved to 2-0 against the Cavs this season.
Elsewhere: Sacramento Kings 108, Indiana Pacers 97: Red-hot DeMarcus Cousins scored a career-high 48 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as the surging Kings won their fifth in a row.
Paul George scored 34 points for the Pacers, who went 1-3 on their road trip.
In other games, the host Charlotte Hornets defeated the New York Knicks, 97-84; the New Orleans Pelicans knocked off the visiting Milwaukee Bucks, 116-99; the host Minnesota Timberwolves edged the Memphis Grizzlies, 106-101; the Phoenix Suns trimmed the visiting Atlanta Hawks, 98-95; the host Denver Nuggets got past the Detroit Pistons, 104-101; and the Portland Trail Blazers routed the Los Angeles Lakers, 121-103.
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