Chicago

- Tyrone Hill played for the first time last night since Game 5 of last year's NBA Finals when he was a member of the Philadelphia 76ers.

Hill, who has been out all season because of back spasms, remained in championship form.

Cavs coach John Lucas gave Hill the start and he responded with 16 points and had 15 rebounds in 31 minutes as the Cavaliers won a season-high fourth straight game with a 114-101 victory over the Chicago Bulls at the United Center.

It's the Cavs' longest streak since winning five straight in December 2000.

Hill wasn't alone in top-caliber form. Lamond Murray, who scored 17 first-quarter points, finished with 37 points and 12 rebounds. Wes Person scored 19 points and Andre Miller had another impressive outing with 18 points, 15 assists and eight rebounds.

Marcus Fizer led the Bulls with 23 points and Brad Miller followed with 22 points and 14 rebounds.

The Cavs (18-33) avenged a loss to the Bulls here in December. This time, the Cavs were playing a Bulls' team with only nine active players. Key players like Eddie Robinson, Ron Artest, Ron Mercer and Charles Oakley were on the bench because of injuries.

Hill's been there.

"It was a relief and it felt to good to be out there to get a good sweat," Hill said. "It was good to get back out there to let everyone know that I'm healthy and I'm back playing again. It felt a little strange but as the game went on, I pushed through it and things started to come back naturally for me."

Lucas said it was an easy choice to start Hill instead of bring him back slowly. "He's been in the league for 12 years," Lucas said. "I wanted to see how our team would look with him in there. He did a lot of positive things for us. I don't think he'll get 16 points and 15 rebounds every night but I have a lot of confidence in Tyrone Hill."

Murray displayed his confidence when his jumper snapped a tie and gave the Cavs a two-point lead with 6:52 left. The Bulls (12-39) split a pair of free throws and trailed by one. Now it was time for the Cavs to put the Bulls away and Hill provided the needed spark. Hill's put-back with 6:12 left pushed the lead to three. Murray connected on a short jumper for a five point lead. Fizer's basket cut the Cavs' lead to three.

Andre Miller made a huge play on the Bulls' next possession with a steal. He made a pass to Person who drained a 3-pointer for an eight-point lead. The Bulls managed a free throw but Michael Doleac countered with a basket for a 99-90 Cavs' lead with 4:07 left. The Bulls couldn't manage another run. They didn't have anything left.

Murray said it was great to have Hill back.

"It's good to have your big bodies out there setting screens and doing the dirty work," Murray said. "That's what Tyrone does so well. Now we just need to keep plugging away at it. We've got four in a row and we need to build on that. The East is wide open and we need to take advantage of that."

Trenton Hassell tried to take advantage of the Bulls' momentum with a 3-pointer to start the third quarter that ignited an 11-2 run for a 60-52 lead. A basket followed by a free throw extended that lead to 11. Hill scored the Cavs' first field goal of the period and he continued to work inside. He scored five straight points for a seven-point deficit. Hill was forced to sit with four fouls with less than five minutes left but it didn't stop the Cavs from a rally that brought them within one. Murray's basket near the end of the quarter gave the Cavs' a 77-76 lead.

It was all Murray during the first quarter as he served the Bulls with a steady diet of jumpers. Murray was 11-of-17 from the field and he was 2-of-3 from beyond the 3-point arc during the period. His consecutive 3-pointers closed out the quarter for a 31-24 Cavs' lead.

The Cavs and Bulls lumbered through an uneventful second quarter. The Bulls took a late five-point lead but the Cavs chipped away at the deficit and Chris Mihm's put-back just before halftime gave the Cavs' a 50-49 edge.

The Cavs return to Gund Arena tomorrow against Utah. Five of the Cavs' next six games are at home.