CLEVELAND -- Luol Deng misses his close friends in Chicago. The Bulls seem to be getting along fine without him. D.J. Augustin scored 27 points in a start for Kirk Hinrich and Taj Gibson matched a career high with 26 filling in for Carlos Boozer as the Bulls improved to 7-2 since trading the popular Deng with a 98-87 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night. Augustin and Mike Dunleavy hit 3-pointers down the stretch to pace the Bulls, who have won three straight, nine of 11 and moved over .500 for the first time since Nov. 22. Chicago reached the seasons mid-point at 21-20, not where many expected the Bulls to be sitting after dealing Deng. The two-time All-Star was a non-factor in his first game against his former team, which traded him for draft picks on Jan. 6. Deng went just 2 of 11 from the field and scored 11 points in 40 minutes. "It was strange," Deng said. "Its the Cavs versus the Bulls and not so much about me. In terms of me, I could have played better." Joakim Noah had 18 rebounds for the Bulls, who appeared to be looking toward the future when they traded Deng, not long after losing superstar Derrick Rose to a season-ending injury. But the Bulls arent fading away as coach Tom Thibodeau has them playing with their usual defensive tenacity. Dengs not around, but the Bulls remain as tough as always. "Its one of the things I respect about our team," Thibodeau said. "They respond to every challenge. They have a lot of heart. Theyre playing together. Each day they have the right approach. If someones out, the next five get in there and get the job done. Were short-handed. We understand how hard we have to play to give ourselves a chance to win." Kyrie Irving scored 26 to lead Cleveland, which has dropped the first two games of a five-game homestand. The Cavs have lost all of their momentum after going 3-2 on the road. "Were not making any excuses here," Irving said. "Weve got to pick it up." Although they were missing two starters in Boozer (calf) and Hinrich (hamstring), the Bulls had more than enough to hold off the Cavaliers. Making just his fourth start, Gibson scored 12 in the third as the Bulls opened a 71-62 lead entering the fourth. Dunleavys 3-pointer extended Chicagos lead to 12 in the opening minute of the final quarter, but the Cavs fought back behind Dion Waiters and pulled to 84-81 on his 3. However, Dunleavy scored again, Noah made a layup and Augustin buried a 3-pointer to give the Bulls a 91-81 lead. The Cavs were still within 93-87 when Dunleavy knocked down another 3-pointer with 38 seconds left to seal Chicagos win. Dunleavy added 22 points for the Bulls, who got just four points from their bench. Waiters had 15 for Cleveland. Deng spent 10 seasons with the Bulls, and the 28-year-old knew it would be challenging to oppose his ex-teammates. "Its definitely going to be weird because its guys Im really close with and it feels like just yesterday I was going to battle with them and now Im going against them," he said at the morning shootaround. Following the game, Deng acknowledged it was difficult to face players he knows so well. "I tried to really play the game within myself," he said. "They played good D. I missed shots. Im not happy with my performance. Thats a good defensive team. Weve just got to keep growing." Before the opening tip, Deng ran over to Chicagos bench and hugged Thibodeau and shook hands with all of the teams assistant coaches. "It says a lot about who he is," Thibodeau said. "That didnt surprise me." Gibson said there were some awkward moments going against Deng. "It felt weird," Gibson said. "There was tension before the game because we werent talking. Its like Tibs said, We love him but were going to go knock him on his butt if he tries to score. After the game, were going to be friends." Outworked by a depleted Chicago team, the Cavs fell behind by 10 early in the second quarter and were down 35-29 when Irving heated up. He made five consecutive 3-pointers in the final 5:45 of the second quarter to give the Cavs a 44-43 lead at halftime. NOTES: Deng spent nearly 20 minutes after the shootaround discussing his days in Chicago, which ended shortly after he rejected a three-year, $30 million contract extension, an offer and pay cut that he and his agents didnt find adequate. Asked if he would consider returning to the Bulls as a free agent this summer, Deng took a swipe at Chicagos front office. "Maybe theyll offer me three years, $30 million," he cracked. "That might be an option to take." ... Noah has recorded at least 10 rebounds in 14 straight games, the longest stretch in franchise history since Dennis Rodman posted 43 straight in 97. Nike Air Max 90 Outlet . However, this year youll have to wait a little while longer. 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Nike Air Force 1 Low Prezzo . -- The Oakland Raiders lost both of their starting running backs to injuries in the first half against the Washington Redskins.(Sports Network) - The Vancouver Canucks will try to head into the Christmas break with sole possession of first place in the Northwest Division, as they welcome the rival Calgary Flames for tonights battle at Rogers Arena. The Canucks, who have won three straight, enter tonight trailing idle Minnesota by just one point for the division lead. Vancouver has put pressure on the Wild over the past month, compiling a 12-2-1 record over its last 15 games. Vancouvers two most recent wins have come at the start of a four-game homestand and those victories have improved the Canucks record as the host to 10-4-1 this season. The Canucks last played on Wednesday, when they recorded a 4-2 decision over the Detroit Red Wings. Roberto Luongo made 38 saves to secure the win and improved his record to 7-0-1 over his last eight starts in net. "[The Red Wings] always make for some exciting games," said Luongo. "They are fun to play in. They shoot a lot. Thats the way I like it." Chris Higgins, Cody Hodgson, Alexandre Burrows and Alexander Edler lit the lamp, while Jannik Hansen added a pair of assists for the Canucks, who have won six of their last seven games at home. Vancouver has played the last two games without defenseman Keith Ballard and he is questionable for tonight with back spasms. The Cannucks have dominated the recent series with the Flames, winning five straight and posting a 10-0-2 mark in the last 12 encounters.dddddddddddd Vancouver has beaten Calgary twice this season, winning both tilts by identical 5-1 scores. The Flames have lost two straight and five of their last six games in British Columbia. Calgary has won its last two games after a four-game losing streak. The Flames beat visiting Minnesota on Tuesday by a 2-1 score and then notched another home win last night in a 3-2 decision against Detroit. Miikka Kiprusoff stopped 29 shots on Thursday to help Calgary hold off the Red Wings at the Saddledome. Curtis Glencross had two goals while Blake Comeau scored the other for the Flames. "The last couple of minutes was kind of hectic, but well take the result," said Comeau. "Thats a great team over there and you cant make any mistakes against them. This is a big win for us." Tonight marks the start of a season-long seven-game road trip for the Flames, who have lost five straight as the guest and are 6-10-2 away from Calgary this season. Flames forward Rene Bourque will be eligible to return tonight after sitting out the last two games with a suspension. Bourque, who has 11 goals this season, was given the ban for an illegal hit on Chicagos Brent Seabrook. cheap jerseys cheap nfl jerseys ' ' '