Cleveland Cavaliers' loss to Chicago Bulls is second consecutive blow to playoff position

CLEVELAND — Zach LaVine scored 26 points, DeMar DeRozan added 20 and the Chicago Bulls stayed alone in the No. 5 spot in the Eastern Conference with a 98-94 win Saturday night over the Cavaliers, who didn't wake up until the fourth quarter.

The Bulls held the Cavs to just 35 points in the first half and won on the road for the first time since March 9, snapping a five-game slide.

The Bulls, who are 4-8 in March, came in with a one-game lead over the Cavs for the fifth playoff spot.

With the loss and the Toronto Raptors' win, the Cavs fell into seventh place — one of the play-in positions — and are one game behind the Raptors, who beat the Indiana Pacers 131-91.

Darius Garland scored 28 points and Caris LeVert had 17 in his second start for the Cavs since coming over in a February trade.

Behind by 18 at halftime, the Cavs woke up and kept chipping away. They got within 10 several times before finally making a run and closing to 83-80 on LeVert's dunk — off a nice dish from Garland — with 5:35 left.

The Cavs were still within four when the Bulls reeled off eight consecutive points on buckets by LaVine, DeRozan and two by rookie Ayo Dosunmu to open a 95-83 lead, sending many in the sellout crowd at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse toward the exits.

DeRozan missed the Bulls' previous game with a groin strain, and spent a good chunk of the first half on the bench in foul trouble. But when the Bulls needed a bucket, the All-Star forward came through with a mid-range jumper or drive.

The Cavs came out flat, sloppy and disconnected defensively in their biggest game so far in this turnaround season.

They weren't much better on the offensive end, committing eight turnovers and going 1 of 18 on 3-pointers in scoring 35 points — matching a season low — in the first half.

The Bulls pushed an eight-point lead after one to 19 in the second quarter, extending their advantage after DeRozan picked up his third foul and went to the bench with 7:55 left in the second period.

Tip-ins

Bulls: Guard Alex Caruso added 10 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. ... Forward Tristan Thompson was fined $20,000 by the league for directing profane language at a game official Thursday in New Orleans. ... The Bulls play five of their final eight games at home and own the season-ending tiebreaker over the Raptors.

Cavaliers: Rookie center Evan Mobley had 11 rebounds. ... Kevin Love made his 1,000th 3-pointer with the Cavs, joining LeBron James as the only players in team history to reach the plateau. ... Lost for the first time in seven home games against Central Division opponents. ... All-Star center Jarrett Allen missed his 10th consecutive game with a broken finger. Coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Allen is getting closer to returning, but didn't provide any kind of timetable. Allen's pain has decreased, which has allowed him to do more on-court activity without risking further injury. ... Guard Rajon Rondo (sprained ankle) and forward Dean Wade (knee) both missed their seventh consecutive games.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavaliers lose to Bulls, fall to seventh place in Eastern Conference