JIMMY BUTLER scored 10 straight points during a critical stretch in the fourth quarter, leading the Chicago Bulls to a 106-94 win Wednesday night over the Cleveland Cavaliers, who had a less-than-100 percent LeBron James and were without stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love.

    Butler, who was coming off a 52-point game against Charlotte, scored 14 of his 20 points in the fourth as the Bulls held off Cleveland’s comeback.

    Doug McDermott added 17 points for the Bulls, who made a season-high 13 3-pointers.

    James, who has been battling a cold for several days, was questionable until about 20 minutes before the game, when the Cavs announced he would be the one — and only — member of Cleveland’s “Big 3” in uniform. He finished with 31 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in 37 minutes.

    James was forced to go it alone as Irving missed his third straight game with a hamstring issue that appears to be more serious than first diagnosed and Love is still recovering from a nasty case of food poisoning.

    The Bulls made just 1 of 8 3-pointers in the first quarter before finding their range. They dropped 11 of their next 14 and built a 15-point lead when James went to the bench with 3:30 left in the third quarter.

    But Cleveland’s reserves cut Chicago’s lead to four when James returned with 8:49 remaining. He made two straight layups to pull the Cavs within 89-88 and was driving for the go-ahead bucket when Butler stepped in front of him in the lane and drew a charge.

    Butler then hit a 3-pointer on the next possession, and Cleveland never got closer than eight and had their home winning streak ended at nine.

    Bulls’ Rajon Rondo didn’t play for the third straight game amid talk that he could be traded.

    (SD-Agencies)