Boozer, Bulls Rout Cavaliers 118-92

Carlos Boozer scored 24 points and chipped in with 11 rebounds as the Chicago Bulls eased past the Cleveland Cavaliers 118-92, to win their third straight game.

"We had a tough last couple weeks of 2012," the Associated Press quoted Boozer as saying. "The new year, we've got a couple of resolutions -- the biggest one is getting more wins."

Boozer had his third straight 20-point game. He made 8 out of 16 attempts from the floor.

"I'm just playing off my teammates," Boozer added. "We work hard together. We're hanging out together -- it's like a college team.

"Games like this are fun because everybody played so great. We like moments like this. We wish all the games could be like this."

Joakim Noah ended with a double-doube for the Bulls with 11 points and 11 rebounds, while Luol Deng had 19 points and seven assists. Marco Belinelli contributed with 15 points and made 5-of-8 shots from the floor.

For the Cavaliers, Dion Waiters top scored with 18 points, while C.J. Miles and Kyrie Irving added 15 points each.

"They come out with a different aggression that our guys have to get used to," Irving said. "They play like a playoff team every single night. That's what you get out of a Bulls team."

The Cleveland offense attacked their opponents early on to take an eight-point 30-22 lead in the first quarter.

Chicago responded in a similar fashion in the second by scoring 31 points against the Cavaliers' 20 to enter the second half with a 53-50 lead.

The Bulls again outshined their opponents 35-22 in the third quarter to extend their lead to 16 points. The fourth quarter again saw the Bulls earning points at will to outscore Cleveland 30-20 and hand them their 11th straight loss against Chicago.

"We're taking the right (3s)," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "They're in rhythm now, that's the big thing. It's off ball movement, hitting the paint, coming out, the extra pass, they're rhythm 3s."

The Cavaliers were out-rebounded by the Bulls 47-31 and they made 33 out of 78 attempts from the field, while Chicago had 44-of-82.

"They've just got our number," Cavaliers coach Byron Scott said. "They feel very confident and comfortable playing against us. From a physical standpoint they're just much more physical and aggressive than we are right now."

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