Game ID: 22500367
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Chicago Bulls
Wednesday, December 17, 2025 at 8:00 PM ET
United Center, Chicago, IL
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
CHI 33 29 33 32 127CLE 34 24 30 23 111
CHI vs CLE ScoutingCHI vs CLE Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
CHI availability going into 12/05 · 1 day's restOUT White missed 3 since 11/29, returns tonight: 26 min (91% of 29)
OUT Okoro missed 6 since 11/22, out tonight
OUT Smith missed 3 since 11/29, out tonight
BACK Terry back 12/03 after 5, 18 min since (162% of 11)
NEW Dosunmu 26 to 33 min over the last 5
CHI availability going into 12/07 · 1 day's restOUT Jones missed 2 since 12/03, out tonight
OUT Okoro missed 7 since 11/22, out tonight
OUT Huerter missed 2 since 12/03, out tonight
OUT Smith missed 4 since 11/29, out tonight
BACK White back 12/05 after 3, 26 min since (91% of 29)
BACK Terry back 12/03 after 5, 19 min since (169% of 11)
NEW Dosunmu 26 to 33 min over the last 4
CHI availability going into 12/12 · 4 days' restOUT Jones missed 3 since 12/03, returns tonight: 25 min (93% of 27)
OUT Okoro missed 8 since 11/22, returns tonight: 26 min (97% of 27)
OUT Huerter missed 3 since 12/03, out tonight
OUT Smith missed 5 since 11/29, returns tonight: 17 min (81% of 21)
BACK White back 12/05 after 3, 26 min since (88% of 29)
BACK Terry back 12/03 after 5, 18 min since (165% of 11)
NEW Dosunmu 26 to 34 min over the last 4
CHI availability going into 12/14 · 1 day's restOUT Huerter missed 4 since 12/03, returns tonight: 24 min (103% of 24)
BACK White back 12/05 after 3, 27 min since (92% of 29)
BACK Jones back 12/12 after 3, 25 min since (93% of 27)
BACK Okoro back 12/12 after 8, 26 min since (97% of 27)
BACK Smith back 12/12 after 5, 17 min since (81% of 21)
BACK Terry back 12/03 after 5, 17 min since (155% of 11)
NEW Dosunmu 26 to 33 min over the last 3
NEW Carter 11 to 16 min over the last 4
CHI availability going into 12/17 · 2 days' restOUT Dosunmu missed 2 since 12/12, out tonight
OUT Carter missed 2 since 12/12, out tonight
BACK White back 12/05 after 3, 27 min since (94% of 29)
BACK Jones back 12/12 after 3, 25 min since (91% of 27)
BACK Okoro back 12/12 after 8, 25 min since (92% of 27)
BACK Huerter back 12/14 after 4, 24 min since (103% of 24)
BACK Smith back 12/12 after 5, 15 min since (70% of 21)
BACK Terry back 12/03 after 5, 16 min since (148% of 11)
CHI availability going into 12/19 · 1 day's restOUT Dosunmu missed 3 since 12/12, returns tonight: 14 min (53% of 26)
OUT Carter missed 3 since 12/12, out tonight
BACK White back 12/05 after 3, 28 min since (96% of 29)
BACK Jones back 12/12 after 3, 25 min since (91% of 27)
BACK Okoro back 12/12 after 8, 27 min since (100% of 27)
BACK Huerter back 12/14 after 4, 25 min since (106% of 24)
BACK Smith back 12/12 after 5, 15 min since (72% of 21)
CHI availability going into 12/21 · 1 day's restOUT Carter missed 4 since 12/12, out tonight
BACK Jones back 12/12 after 3, 24 min since (89% of 27)
BACK Okoro back 12/12 after 8, 25 min since (93% of 27)
BACK Dosunmu back 12/19 after 3, 14 min since (53% of 26)
BACK Huerter back 12/14 after 4, 23 min since (99% of 24)
BACK Smith back 12/12 after 5, 15 min since (73% of 21)
CHI availability going into 12/23 · 1 day's restOUT Carter missed 5 since 12/12, out tonight
OUT Terry missed 2 since 12/19, out tonight
BACK Jones back 12/12 after 3, 24 min since (88% of 27)
BACK Okoro back 12/12 after 8, 24 min since (88% of 27)
BACK Dosunmu back 12/19 after 3, 15 min since (58% of 26)
BACK Huerter back 12/14 after 4, 23 min since (97% of 24)
BACK Smith back 12/12 after 5, 15 min since (71% of 21)
CHI availability going into 12/26 · 2 days' restOUT Carter missed 6 since 12/12, out tonight
OUT Terry missed 3 since 12/19, out tonight
BACK Dosunmu back 12/19 after 3, 16 min since (59% of 26)
BACK Huerter back 12/14 after 4, 24 min since (100% of 24)
CLE availability going into 12/05 · 1 day's restOUT Allen missed 3 since 11/30, out tonight
OUT Merrill missed 8 since 11/19, out tonight
OUT Nance Jr. missed 3 since 11/30, out tonight
BACK Ball back 12/03 after 2, 24 min since (115% of 21)
BACK Porter Jr. back 11/30 after 3, 14 min since (88% of 16)
NEW Tyson 24 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW Tomlin 14 to 22 min over the last 5
NEW Proctor 10 to 17 min over the last 3
CLE availability going into 12/06 · back-to-backOUT Allen missed 4 since 11/30, out tonight
OUT Merrill missed 9 since 11/19, out tonight
OUT Nance Jr. missed 4 since 11/30, out tonight
OUT Proctor missed 2 since 12/03, out tonight
BACK Ball back 12/03 after 2, 23 min since (111% of 21)
BACK Porter Jr. back 11/30 after 3, 17 min since (102% of 16)
NEW Tyson 24 to 30 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 12/12 · 5 days' restOUT Allen missed 5 since 11/30, out tonight
OUT Merrill missed 10 since 11/19, out tonight
OUT Nance Jr. missed 5 since 11/30, out tonight
OUT Proctor missed 3 since 12/03, out tonight
BACK Ball back 12/03 after 2, 23 min since (111% of 21)
BACK Porter Jr. back 11/30 after 3, 17 min since (100% of 16)
NEW Tyson 24 to 33 min over the last 5
NEW Tomlin 14 to 20 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 12/14 · 1 day's restOUT Allen missed 6 since 11/30, returns tonight: 23 min (83% of 28)
OUT Merrill missed 11 since 11/19, out tonight
OUT Nance Jr. missed 6 since 11/30, out tonight
OUT Proctor missed 4 since 12/03, returns tonight: 6 min (63% of 10)
BACK Ball back 12/03 after 2, 23 min since (113% of 21)
NEW Tyson 24 to 32 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 12/17 · 2 days' restOUT Merrill missed 12 since 11/19, out tonight
OUT Nance Jr. missed 7 since 11/30, out tonight
BACK Allen back 12/14 after 6, 23 min since (83% of 28)
BACK Ball back 12/03 after 2, 26 min since (123% of 21)
BACK Proctor back 12/14 after 4, 6 min since (63% of 10)
NEW Tyson 24 to 33 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 12/19 · 1 day's restOUT Mobley missed 2 since 12/14, out tonight
OUT Merrill missed 13 since 11/19, out tonight
OUT Nance Jr. missed 8 since 11/30, out tonight
BACK Allen back 12/14 after 6, 25 min since (91% of 28)
BACK Proctor back 12/14 after 4, 6 min since (63% of 10)
NEW Tyson 24 to 33 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 12/22 · 2 days' restOUT Mobley missed 3 since 12/14, out tonight
OUT Merrill missed 14 since 11/19, returns tonight: 26 min (104% of 25)
OUT Nance Jr. missed 9 since 11/30, out tonight
BACK Allen back 12/14 after 6, 27 min since (97% of 28)
BACK Proctor back 12/14 after 4, 13 min since (129% of 10)
NEW Tyson 24 to 32 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 12/23 · back-to-backOUT Mobley missed 4 since 12/14, out tonight
OUT Nance Jr. missed 10 since 11/30, out tonight
BACK Allen back 12/14 after 6, 25 min since (90% of 28)
BACK Merrill back 12/22 after 14, 26 min since (104% of 25)
BACK Proctor back 12/14 after 4, 11 min since (103% of 10)
CLE availability going into 12/25 · 1 day's restOUT Mobley missed 5 since 12/14, returns tonight: 25 min (77% of 33)
OUT Nance Jr. missed 11 since 11/30, out tonight
BACK Allen back 12/14 after 6, 25 min since (91% of 28)
BACK Merrill back 12/22 after 14, 26 min since (104% of 25)
BACK Proctor back 12/14 after 4, 10 min since (98% of 10)
NEW Bryant 11 to 18 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Chicago comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 119, shooting 44 percent and 30 from three, 22 free throws a game; White at 18 and Giddey at 18 a game. Without Dosunmu (2 straight). 2 days' rest. Cleveland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 117, shooting 43 percent and 27 from three, 26 free throws a game; Mitchell at 31 and Mobley at 20 a game. Without Merrill (12 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Cleveland wins, on the road, and the game turns on the turnovers, Chicago giving it away 15 times a game to Cleveland's 11. Call it Cleveland 118, Chicago 115, Chicago keeping it close.
12/05 vs IND 105-120 — CHI notes
CHI lost 105-120. CHI shot 44% (34 of 77) to IND's 54%, 13 of 35 from three, and went to the line 29 times to IND's 16 — 24 points from the stripe to their 12. CHI turned it over 18 times to IND's 13, and IND turned those into 13 steals. The glass went 46-35 for them. White led with 22 (6 of 14, 1 of 5 from three, 9 of 12 at the line); Buzelis added 19, Carter 14. Q1 was theirs, 33-30, but the other 3 periods went 90-72 against them. Williams's -27 in 26 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/07 vs GSW 91-123 — CHI notes
CHI lost 91-123. CHI shot 36% (32 of 89) to GSW's 50%, 11 of 40 from three. The glass went 38-51 against them. Giddey led with 18 (6 of 15, 3 of 6 from three); Buzelis added 16, Carter 13. Q3 was theirs, 30-27, the deficit cut from 14 to 11, but the other 3 periods went 96-61 against them. Dosunmu's -35 in 27 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/12 @ CHA 129-126 — CHI notes
CHI won 129-126. CHI shot 55% (52 of 94) to CHA's 53%, 10 of 28 from three, and went to the line 19 times to CHA's 10 — 15 points from the stripe to their 8. The glass went 44-32 for them. Giddey led with 26 (10 of 17, 2 of 4 from three); White added 20, Williams 16. The hinge was Q4, 40-34: CHI came in trailing by 3 and left it ahead by 3. CHI trailed 55-61 at the half and won the second half 74-65. Collins was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
12/14 vs NOP 104-114 — CHI notes
CHI lost 104-114. CHI shot 41% (38 of 92) to NOP's 46%, 13 of 49 from three, and got to the line 17 times to NOP's 25. The glass went 43-53 against them. White led with 20 (8 of 18, 1 of 10 from three); Huerter added 16, Vučević 12. Q1 was theirs, 26-21, but the other 3 periods went 93-78 against them. Williams's -13 in 24 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/17 vs CLE 127-111 — CHI notes
CHI won 127-111. CHI shot 56% (50 of 89) to CLE's 48%, 14 of 36 from three. CHI turned it over 15 times to CLE's 20. White led with 25 (8 of 13, 3 of 5 from three, 6 of 7 at the line); Giddey added 23, Vučević 20. The hinge was Q4, 32-23: a lead of 7 became 16, and the lead reached 19. Jones was the night's best plus/minus at +20.
12/19 @ CLE — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 118, shooting 44 percent and 29 from three, 25 free throws a game; Mitchell at 31 and Mobley at 19 a game. Without Mobley (2 straight), Merrill (13 straight). One day's rest. Chicago comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 119, shooting 47 percent and 32 from three, 20 free throws a game; White at 20 and Giddey at 17 a game. Without Dosunmu (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Cleveland 120, Chicago 114.
12/21 @ ATL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Atlanta comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 127, shooting 47 percent and 34 from three, 21 free throws a game; Johnson at 24 and Alexander-Walker at 20 a game. Without Porziņģis (5 straight). One day's rest. Chicago comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 120, shooting 48 percent and 33 from three, 18 free throws a game; Giddey at 19 and White at 18 a game. One day's rest.
So: Atlanta wins, and the game turns on the defense, Chicago allowing 120 a night to Atlanta's 127. Call it Atlanta 121, Chicago 119, Chicago keeping it close.
12/23 @ ATL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Atlanta comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 134, shooting 47 percent and 37 from three, 24 free throws a game; Johnson at 25 and Alexander-Walker at 19 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Porziņģis (6 straight). One day's rest. Chicago comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 130 a night and allowing 125, shooting 52 percent and 37 from three, 22 free throws a game; White at 20 and Giddey at 19 a game. That is 3 straight wins. One day's rest.
So: Chicago wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Chicago has been plus-2 a night and Atlanta minus-4 and the defense, Chicago allowing 125 a night to Atlanta's 134. Call it Chicago 125, Atlanta 123, Atlanta keeping it close.
12/26 vs PHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Chicago comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 129 a night and allowing 125, shooting 52 percent and 37 from three, 23 free throws a game; White at 21 and Vučević at 18 a game. That is 4 straight wins. 2 days' rest. Philadelphia comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 112, shooting 42 percent and 35 from three, 32 free throws a game; Embiid at 29 and Maxey at 27 a game. Without Oubre Jr. (16 straight), Watford (11 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Chicago wins, and the game turns on the defense, Philadelphia allowing 112 a night to Chicago's 125 and the line, where Philadelphia takes 32 free throws a game to Chicago's 23. Call it Chicago 120, Philadelphia 119, Philadelphia keeping it close.
12/05 vs SAS 130-117 — CLE notes
CLE won 130-117. CLE shot 58% (50 of 86) to SAS's 45%, 8 of 26 from three. The glass went 48-38 for them. Mitchell led with 28 (9 of 17, 1 of 5 from three, 9 of 11 at the line); Tyson added 24, Mobley 17. The hinge was Q3, 44-19: CLE came in trailing by 8 and left it ahead by 17, and the lead reached 20. CLE trailed 64-72 at the half and won the second half 66-45. Porter Jr. was the night's best plus/minus at +20.
12/06 vs GSW 94-99 — CLE notes
CLE lost 94-99. CLE took 21 more shots (107 to 86), fed by 24 offensive rebounds, but shot 35% to GSW's 38%, 10 of 42 from three, and got to the line just 12 times against 18 fouls committed. The glass went 61-46 for them. Mitchell led with 29 (11 of 26, 7 of 14 from three); Mobley added 18, Garland 17. Q1 was theirs, 18-12, but the other 3 periods went 87-76 against them. Garland's -14 in 32 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/12 @ WAS 130-126 — CLE notes
CLE won 130-126. CLE shot 42% (41 of 97) to WAS's 49%, 15 of 53 from three. CLE turned it over 7 times to WAS's 16. Mitchell led with 48 (17 of 31, 8 of 15 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Mobley added 23, Garland 18. The hinge was Q4, 45-26: CLE came in trailing by 15 and left it ahead by 4. Ball was the night's best plus/minus at +26.
12/14 vs CHA 111-119 — CLE notes
CLE lost 111-119 in 1 overtime. CLE shot 40% (38 of 95) to CHA's 44%, 12 of 38 from three, and went to the line 29 times to CHA's 21 — 23 points from the stripe to their 16. Garland led with 26 (8 of 19, 3 of 7 from three, 7 of 8 at the line); Mitchell added 17, Tyson 16. Q4 was theirs, 32-23, the deficit cut from 9 to 0, but the other 4 periods went 96-79 against them. Mitchell's -12 in 38 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/17 @ CHI 111-127 — CLE notes
CLE lost 111-127. CLE shot 48% (42 of 87) to CHI's 56%, 12 of 39 from three. CLE turned it over 20 times to CHI's 15, and CHI turned those into 12 steals. Mitchell led with 32 (11 of 23, 4 of 9 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Tyson added 21, Garland 15. Q1 was theirs, 34-33, but the other 3 periods went 94-77 against them. They led by as many as 12. Garland's -18 in 30 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/19 vs CHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 118, shooting 44 percent and 29 from three, 25 free throws a game; Mitchell at 31 and Mobley at 19 a game. Without Mobley (2 straight), Merrill (13 straight). One day's rest. Chicago comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 119, shooting 47 percent and 32 from three, 20 free throws a game; White at 20 and Giddey at 17 a game. Without Dosunmu (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Cleveland 120, Chicago 114.
12/22 vs CHA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 121, shooting 42 percent and 30 from three, 23 free throws a game; Mitchell at 32 and Garland at 22 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Mobley (3 straight), Merrill (14 straight). 2 days' rest. Charlotte comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 119, shooting 45 percent and 39 from three, 18 free throws a game; Knueppel at 25 and Bridges at 22 a game. Without Sexton (6 straight), Williams (21 straight). One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the arc, Charlotte at 39 percent from three to Cleveland's 30 and the line, where Cleveland takes 23 free throws a game to Charlotte's 18. Call it Cleveland 119, Charlotte 115, Charlotte keeping it close.
12/23 vs NOP — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 128, shooting 46 percent and 36 from three, 24 free throws a game; Mitchell at 32 and Garland at 24 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Mobley (4 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. New Orleans comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 127 a night and allowing 115, shooting 49 percent and 31 from three, 26 free throws a game; Williamson at 20 and Murphy III at 20 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without McGowens (2 straight), Jordan (26 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the defense, New Orleans allowing 115 a night to Cleveland's 128 and the glass, where New Orleans has been plus-2 a night and Cleveland minus-5. Call it Cleveland 122, New Orleans 121, New Orleans keeping it close.
12/25 @ NYK — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New York comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 114, shooting 48 percent and 40 from three, 22 free throws a game; Brunson at 32 and Towns at 20 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without McBride (5 straight), Shamet (13 straight). One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 126, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 19 free throws a game; Mitchell at 26 and Garland at 23 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Mobley (5 straight). One day's rest.
So: New York wins, and the game turns on the glass, where New York has been plus-6 a night and Cleveland minus-4 and the defense, New York allowing 114 a night to Cleveland's 126. Call it New York 121, Cleveland 117, Cleveland keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
CLECP C. Porter Jr.
DG D. Garland
DH D. Hunter
DM D. Mitchell
DW D. Wade
JA J. Allen
JT J. Tyson
LB L. Ball
NT N. Tomlin
TB T. Bryant
TP T. Proctor
CHICW C. White
IO I. Okoro
JG J. Giddey
JS J. Smith
KH K. Huerter
MB M. Buzelis
NV N. Vučević
PW P. Williams
TJ T. Jones
VU Vucevic
ZC Z. Collins
CLE/CHI the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Josh Giddey, Coby White lead the way as the Bulls beat the Cavaliers 127-111
CHICAGO -- — Josh Giddey scored 23 points as part of his sixth triple-double this season, Coby White added 25 and the hot-shooting Chicago Bulls beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 127-111 on Wednesday night.
Giddey had 11 rebounds and 11 assists. He also matched a career high with five 3-pointers. Nikola Vucevic added 20 points and nine rebounds in the opener of the home-and-home series.
The Bulls shot 56.2% overall and made 14 of 36 3-pointers on the way to a rather convincing win after losing eight of nine. They led by 15 in the third quarter and went on a run in the fourth to break the game back open on the way to a rare win over Cleveland. They had dropped 12 of 13 against the Cavaliers.
Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 32 points, but the Cavaliers fell to 15-13 with their seventh loss in 10 games, the latest troubling performance for a team considered a favorite in the Eastern Conference. They didn’t sustain their 13th loss last season until March 19.
Jaylon Tyson scored 21. Darius Garland added 15 points and six assists
The Bulls led 106-97 midway through the fourth when Vucevic nailed a 3 to spark an 11-3 run. He also had a layup and a tip-in during that stretch. Giddey broke for a layup, and White added two free throws to make it 117-100 with 4:59 remaining.
Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu missed his third consecutive game because of a sprained right thumb. The Chicago product is fourth on the team in scoring at 15.2 points per game.
“Rest is probably going to be the best thing, but he's probably not going to have time to rest it for it to be fully healed,” coach Billy Donovan said.
Up next The teams meet again in Cleveland on Friday. ------