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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. James Harden Rockets Jersey . 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Rasmus was put on the 15-day DL on May 15 because of a sore right hamstring. Hes hitting .222 with nine home runs and 19 RBIs.The Florida Panthers have signed centre Dave Bolland to a five-year contract worth an average annual value of $5.5 million. Bolland played just 23 games last season in his first year with the Toronto Maple Leafs after an ankle injury suffered early in the season. He was effective for the Leafs when he did play, scoring eight goals and four assists in 23 games, all but two of those points coming in the 15 games before he went down due to injury. He is coming off a five-year deal he signed with Chicago prior to the 2009-10 season worth an average annual value of $3.375 million. The Mimico, Ont. native spent the first six years of his career with the Chicago Blackhawks, winning two Stanley Cups in the process, before the team dealt him to Toronto at the 2013 NHL Draft. The 28-year-old forward has 78 goals and 102 assists for 180 points over 355 career games in the NHL. Bolland was drafted by Chicago in the second round (32nd overall) of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. The Panthers also signed forward Jussi Jokinen to a four-year deal worth an average annual value of $4 million. In 81 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2013-14 Jokinen scored 21 goals and added 36 assists for 57 points, the seccond-highest single-season total of his career.dddddddddddd He is coming off a three-year contract that paid him an average annual value of $3 million. Jokinen spent his first full year with the Penguins this past season after being dealt to the team at the 2013 trade deadline by the Carolina Hurricanes. He has also spent time with the Dallas Stars and Tampa Bay Lightning over his 10-year NHL career. The 31-year-old forward has 149 goals and 265 assists for 414 points over 660 career games in the NHL. Jokinen, a native of Finland, was drafted by Dallas in the sixth round (192nd overall) of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. He has represented Finland on the international stage on numerous occasions, most recently winning bronze at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Florida would also add forward Shawn Thornton to a two-year deal worth an average annual value of $1.2 million. The Panthers also signed centre Derek MacKenzie to a contract. The 33-year-old scored nine goals and added nine assists in 71 games with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2013-2014. The Panthers added another veteran later in the day, signing defenceman Willie Mitchell to a two-year, $8.5 million contract. ' ' '