In Cleveland, the Chicago Bulls (43-31) defeated the Cavaliers (41-33) 98-94 on March 26.
Struggling Chicago, losers of five of its previous six, entered the night with a slim one-game lead over Cleveland, according to cleveland.com .
By the conclusion of the first half, the chilly Cavs had just 35 points, matching their lowest total in a half this season. They trailed by 18 points at the break.
Zach LaVine led the Bulls with 25 points and held former Bull Lauri Markkanen to 14 points. DeMar Derozan added 20 points.
Chicago will next play at the New York Knicks on Monday, March 28.
Also on March 26, the Chicago Blackhawks (24-32-10) fell to the Vegas Golden Knights (36-28-4) 5-4, in overtime, in NHL action in Las Vegas.
In winning, Vegas erased a 3-0 lead that Chicago held entering the final period. However, three Golden Knights goals in a span of 1:52 tied things before Evgenii Dadonov decided the game in the extra period.
Dominik Kubalik, Jonathan Toews, Dylan Strome and Alex DeBrincat all scored for the Blackhawks. Kevin Lankinen made 29 saves, including a perfect 17-for-17 through the opening 40 minutes.
Chicago returns home to face the Buffalo Sabres on Monday, March 28, at the United Center.