The first thing that stood out to me in this game was that both teams seemed to be trying to impose things on the defensive end; a theme that would not last. Chicago was hitting more contested jumpers though which led to them taking an early lead and pushing it to double digits. Chris Bosh tried to make up for the lack of LeBron in the lineup but was having an off night, starting off 2-for-10 from the field.
After trailing 33-19 early in the 2nd quarter, Miami went on a big time run to get back in the game. Eddie House's 3rd triple of the quarter would give Miami their first lead since early in the game. The Heat closed the half on a 28-10 run, finishing with back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers from House, Mike Miller and D-Wade, giving Miami a 5-point lead at the break.
Whatever was said in the Bulls locker room really worked for them. They came out scoring 17 unanswered points, scoring almost at ease while the Heat couldn't buy a bucket. Miami would respond by closing the quarter outscoring Chicago 17-8 in large part thanks to Chris Bosh, who opened the 3rd quarter with back-to-back airballs before finally finding his stroke.
Bosh would limp off the floor late in the 3rd quarter after injuring his ankle while going after a loose ball. He briefly returned in the 4th but would ultimately take the rest of the night off. X-rays were negative and we'll see if and how long Bosh will be out. I thought it was pretty class-less of the Chicago fans to cheer when Bosh hit the floor, holding his ankle in obvious pain.
The Bulls led for almost the entire 4th quarter but Miami kept things very close. Then D-Wade caught fire in the final minutes, hitting 3-striaght 3-pointers to put the Heat up 96-95 with 37 seconds left. Unfortunately those would be the last points that Miami would score. They showed some great stretches but inconsistency and two big lapses cost the Heat a road victory in Chicago.
Dwyane Wade finished with 33 points, but had a sick 1st half. He collected 21 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocks in the opening 24 minutes, but foul trouble would limit him during most of the 3rd quarter. He had no rebounds in the 2nd half but he did block 2 more shots, finishing the game with a season-high 5.
GAME NOTES
- Mike Miller finally hit a trey. He finished 2-of-3 from downtown, hopefully a sign of things to come.
- Joel Anthony blocked 3 shots, all in the 1st half. He also had 5 rebounds and 2 points, off of a nice Mike Miller pass.
- Joel led the Heat in minutes, playing 38.
- One of the more productive nights for the Heat bench, scoring 37 points.
- Props to Eddie House for coming off the bench with another very nice game. He finished with 13-points on 5-of-7 shooting, adding 5 rebounds and 3 assists. He was a perfect 3-for-3 from downtown.
- Mario Chalmers had a rough night shooting the ball, hitting just 4-of-12, including just 2-of-9 from beyond the arc.
- Dwyane Wade's 6 rebounds, all collected in the 1st half, led the Heat.
Miami now finally heads home after ending their road trip with 3 consecutive losses. Next up for the Heat is Atlanta on Tuesday night.