The Miami Heat have become the eighth and final playoff team in the Eastern Conference after clearly and convincingly beating the Chicago Bulls 112-91.
After officially confirming that Jimmy Butler will be out for several weeks, the Heat faced the most important game of the year with the obligation to win and showed their most coral version. Tyler Herro (much better in shooting today with 8/17 from the field) scored 24 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists, Jaime Jaquez Jr. He finished with 21 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists and Kevin Love and Bam Adebayo dominated the area (16+7 for the first, 13 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists for the second) so that those from Florida commanded from start to finish, achieving a convincing victory to ensure a new duel between the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat, a reissue of the last two Finals in the Eastern Conference.
“We have a group of top competitors and I wanted them to enjoy it, to be grateful to have a match like this. These are the fun matches. I would rather not be in them, but they are fun. Our competitors enjoy them.”
Erik SpoelstraMiami Heat
DeMar DeRozan scored 22 points and Nikola Vucevic He had 16 points, 14 rebounds and five assists for the Bulls, who greatly missed the great hero of the first play-in game: Coby White He scored just 13 points on 5/16 shooting, a discreet performance after scoring 42 points against the Atlanta Hawks two nights earlier.
“We couldn’t get any offensive rhythm. We couldn’t do anything and they had rhythm and made shots when they needed to.”
DeMar DeRozanChicago BUlls
Javonte Green added 12 points off the bench, and Ayo Dosunmu He scored 10 on 3/15 shots for Chicago, who despite starting out in charge, saw how a 19-0 run for the Heat changed everything. From 6-11 it went to 25-11 in a flash, a local advantage that reached 17 in the first quarter and shot up to 20 in the second.
Things didn’t change much after the break. The Bulls were losing 70-60 with 3:15 left in the third quarter, at which point the Heat achieved another devastating quarter, not as extensive but lethal for the moment and what it meant.
Delon Wright and Herro punished from the perimeter to command the 12-0 with which the third round closed, making it 82-60 that even increased to 84-60 after a basket by Jáquez right at the beginning of the last quarter.
The local festival shot up to 99-70 with 7:05 left to finish the match, sealing the game and the qualification for the Miami Heat to a series against the Boston Celtics that looks hot like few others.
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