Skip to content

Heat stay hot by topping Bulls 112-99

The Bulls missed 14 of their first 15 3s before Dosunmu made one from the right corner early in the third quarter, but the Bulls never made a serious run in the second half, and Miami wasn’t threatened in the fourth.

Associated Press Chicago Journal
Associated Press / Chicago Journal
4 min read
Heat stay hot by topping Bulls 112-99
Gabe Vincent of the Miami Heat drives against the Chicago Bulls in their regular season matchup on February 28, 2022. | Photo: NBA.com

By TIM REYNOLDS | AP Basketball Writer

MIAMI (AP) — For the first time all season, the Miami Heat have a bit of a cushion atop the Eastern Conference.

Gabe Vincent and Tyler Herro each scored 20 points, and the Heat topped the Chicago Bulls 112-99 on Monday night for their ninth win in their last 10 games. The Heat moved a season-best two games clear of the second-place Bulls in the East.



“Whatever people want to say about us is cool,” Herro said.

Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo each had 15 points for Miami. Max Strus had all 13 of his points in the fourth quarter for the Heat.

Chicago guard DeMar DeRozan's streak of 10 consecutive games with at least 30 points ended; he finished with 18.

“I was just playing,” DeRozan said of the streak. “Just going out there playing, competing, doing whatever I could. I was just going out there playing. ... I’m glad it’s over with so I can stop hearing everything about it.”

Zach LaVine led the Bulls with 22 points, while Ayo Dosunmu had 18 and Nikola Vucevic added 14 for Chicago.

The Heat are now 3-0 against Chicago, ensuring Miami would hold a head-to-head tiebreaker over the Bulls if one is needed to determine seeding. The Heat led most of the way, building as much as a 24-point cushion.

Chicago has the sixth-best record in the NBA, but is now 1-8 against the five teams with better marks — Phoenix, Golden State, Memphis, Utah and Miami. The win was against the Jazz in October.

“I think the biggest thing for me is we have to get battle-tested in some of these games and we just don’t have a lot of guys who have gone into these kind of experiences,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. “I think it’s really good for us.”

Vincent, starting for Miami in place of Kyle Lowry — out for personal reasons — was 7 for 13 from the field, 4 of 8 from 3-point range.

“When the opportunity comes you want to take advantage of it,” Vincent said. “We miss Kyle and can't wait to get him back.”



The Bulls missed 14 of their first 15 3s before Dosunmu made one from the right corner early in the third quarter, getting Chicago within 65-51. But the Bulls never made a serious run in the second half, and Miami wasn’t threatened in the fourth.

Miami outscored Chicago 36-21 in the third, pushing its lead to 24 points going into the final 12 minutes. It matched the third-largest deficit for the Bulls after three quarters this season, plus it was the fifth-largest advantage for the Heat at that point in a game this season.

TIP-INS

Bulls: Chicago will take advantage of a couple days in Miami, with the team not scheduled to leave for Atlanta until Wednesday afternoon. ... DeRozan’s streak of 30-point games ended one shy of matching Michael Jordan’s franchise record of 11 in a row. There have been 29 instances of a Bulls player scoring 30 points in at least five consecutive regular-season games; DeRozan is now responsible for one of those streaks, Jordan for the other 28.

Heat: Miami is 41-21. The last five Heat teams to start 41-21 or better all went to the NBA Finals. ... It’s unknown how long Lowry will be away from the team. ... Actor Mark Wahlberg was among those in the crowd, as was former Miami player Michael Beasley. ... The Heat have a two-game trip to Milwaukee and Brooklyn later this week, then return home for 11 of their next 12 games. ... For the second consecutive game, a Ukrainian flag adorned the arena’s outside video display, and some fans also unfurled them inside the building.

OLADIPO WATCH

Heat G Victor Oladipo has started a second stint with Miami’s G League team in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, as he ramps up the final stages of what’s been nearly a yearlong recovery from leg surgery. Oladipo practiced Monday and will practice again Tuesday and Wednesday. It's possible he could make his season debut for the Heat by mid-March.

CARUSO UPDATE

Bulls G Alex Caruso hasn’t played since Jan. 21 because of a broken wrist. He’s doing some on-court work, but the strength in his right wrist isn’t anywhere near where he and the Bulls need it to be before he can think about playing again. He’s expected back in March, but a specific date has not been set.

UP NEXT

Bulls: Visit Atlanta on Thursday.

Heat: Visit Milwaukee on Wednesday.


Subscribe to the Chicago Journal


The Chicago Journal needs your support.

At just $20/year, your subscription not only helps us grow, it helps maintain our commitment to independent publishing.

CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE



More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

BullsNBASports

Associated Press Twitter

News and content from The Associated Press, which has been covering the world's most important stories since 1846.

Chicago Journal Twitter

The Chicago Journal is a general interest, digital publication focused on the political, cultural, and economic issues relevant to the city of Chicago and the surrounding metro area.


Related

Wisdom, Bellinger HRs lift Cubs to 3-2 win over Dodgers

Wisdom and Bellinger connected back-to-back in the sixth inning, and the Cubs took two of three in the series. Drew Smyly (1-1) allowed one run and four hits in 5 2/3 innings.

Wisdom, Bellinger HRs lift Cubs to 3-2 win over Dodgers

Athanasiou scores twice as Blackhawks beat Flames 4-3

Jujhar Khaira and Austin Wagner also scored for Chicago (25-46-6), which began the night in last place in the NHL. The Blackhawks swept the three-game series against the Flames.

Athanasiou scores twice as Blackhawks beat Flames 4-3

Bogdanovic's 26 lead Young-less Hawks past Bulls 123-105

Young, who leads the Hawks with a 26.2 scoring average, didn't play due to a non-COVID illness. Forward De’Andre Hunter missed his third consecutive game because of a left knee bruise.

Bogdanovic's 26 lead Young-less Hawks past Bulls 123-105