Australian guard Tyrese Proctor has shone in his first NBA start for Cleveland but had the milestone spoiled by compatriot Josh Giddey, who played a key role in Chicago's 136-125 win.
Matas Buzelis and Nikola Vucevic each scored 24 points as the Bulls pulled away in the final period at Rocket Arena on Saturday (AEDT) for their second victory over the Cavs in three days.
Vucevic, who also grabbed 15 rebounds, had 11 points and six boards in the fourth quarter, helping Chicago (12-15) win consecutive games for the first time in a month.
Giddey had 17 points, seven assists and six rebounds as one of seven Bulls players who scored in double figures.
It was a mixed night for rookie guard Proctor, the No.49 overall pick in this year's draft, who had 16 points from a career-high 27 minutes on court.
Tyrese Proctor was terrific in his first NBA Start! 🔥
— NBA Australia (@NBA_AU) December 20, 2025
Proctor poured in 16 points to go along with 6 rebounds, and 3 assists in 27 minutes of action! 💪 pic.twitter.com/QW359MWlGK
The 21-year-old, from Sydney, also had six rebounds and three assists.
Darius Garland scored a season-high 35 points for Cleveland (15-14), who were missing All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell due to illness, while Nae'Qwan Tomlin added 15 points off the bench.
The contest was tied at 115-all before Vucevic had seven points in a 17-8 Chicago spurt that decided it.
Australian forward Luke Travers had four points and three rebounds in less than six minutes on court for the Cavs.
Elsewhere, Boomers star Dyson Daniels had 11 points, six rebounds and three assists for Atlanta in their 126-98 loss to San Antonio.
Daniels failed to claim a steal for the second time this month, after his remarkable 70-game streak with at least one steal ended in late November.
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Victor Wembanyama had 26 points and 12 boards for the Spurs (20-7) in his first double-double in more than a month.
Tyrese Maxey (30 points) and VJ Edgecombe (23) fired as Philadelphia became just the second visiting team to win at Madison Square Garden this season, beating the New York Knicks 116-107.
Boston's Derrick White scored a season-high 33 points and tied a career high with nine triples, helping the Celtics pull away for a 129-116 win over the Miami Heat.
In the late game, Minnesota overcame the early ejection of coach Chris Finch to hand division rivals and Western Conference leaders Oklahoma City just their third loss of the season.
The Timberwolves closed on an 8-0 run to seal the thrilling 112-107 victory, as Anthony Edwards top-scored with 26 points.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led all scorers with 35 points for the Thunder but lost control of possession in the dying seconds to gift the Wolves victory.
