Cleveland: The Cleveland Cavaliers, whose young star LeBron James was stung by criticism for walking off the court in the waning moments of a defeat, strolled to a win over Chicago on yesterday (Nov 9, 2006).

Drew Gooden fueled a quick start and scored 20 points on 10-of-13 shooting as the Cavaliers continued their dominance of the Bulls with a 113-94 National Basketball Association victory.

James had 19 points and 12 assists and was part of a balanced attack for Cleveland, which bounced back from an embarrassing home loss to Atlanta and beat Chicago for the fifth straight time.

On Tuesday, the Cavaliers missed 10 free throws and squandered a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter before being overwhelmed in overtime by the Hawks.

As time wound down, James walked off the court, drawing some criticism for his actions.

James addressed those critics before Thursday's game, saying he didn't desert his teammates.

"I stayed on the court until the buzzer and even said something to (Atlanta's) Joe Johnson on his way out," James said.

"It's a simple fact it was kind of frustrating to lose that game. But as far as quitting on my teammates, that's crazy," he said.

Bulls coach Scott Skiles believed too much was made of the story, saying James shouldn't be singled out for something that occurs with frequency.

 "It wasn't like we were pressing," Skiles said.

"I think it's a non-issue," he said.

The Cavaliers certainly didn't seem like a team with issues against the Bulls.

Gooden scored eight points in the first quarter, including a pair of buckets in a 9-0 spurt that gave Cleveland the lead for good at 15-9.

Reserves Donyell Marshall and Sasha Pavlovic sank 3-pointers to push the lead to 30-18 after the first quarter.
When the Bulls closed to 32-23 early in the second period, Pavlovic hit a 3-pointer. When Chicago inched within 77-68 late in the third period, Marshall closed the quarter with a 3-pointer.

Pavlovic scored 16 points and Marshall and Anderson Varejao added 15 apiece - all season highs - for the Cavaliers, who shot 57 percent from the field, including 8-of-14 from 3-point range.

Pavlovic, Marshall and Varejao were part of a bench effort that contributed 56 points on 21-of-30 shooting and allowed James to watch the last five-plus minutes from the sidelines.

Kirk Hinrich had 20 points and 11 assists and Andres Nocioni scored 15 points for the Bulls, who were out-rebounded 47-30.