DeMar DeRozan's 37 points leads Bulls past Heat 116-108 in home opener
MIAMI - The Chicago Bulls defeated the Miami Heat 116-108 in Wednesday night's regular-season opener.
Jimmy Butler led the Heat with 24 points while grabbing 8 rebounds and dishing out 3 assists.
The reigning NBA Sixth Man of The Year, Tyler Herro started for the Heat and scored 23 points, shooting 4/8 from three-point range.
Max Strus contributed with 22 points off the bench, adding five three-point shots in the mix.
Heat point guard Kyle Lowry and center Bam Adebayo combined for 9 points on a total of 6/22 shooting.
Bulls guard DeMar DeRozan led Chicago with 37 points, scoring 28 of his 37 points in the second half.
DeRozan also tallied 9 assists and 6 rebounds.
Bulls guard Zach Lavine missed Wednesday's game, but in his absence, former Heat guard Goran Dragic scored 12 points off the Chicago bench.
In what was a 59-59 tied game at halftime, Chicago pulled away in the second half, outscoring the Heat 57-49.
The Heat's next game in their four-game homestand continues Friday night, as they host the Boston Celtics in a highly-anticipated rematch of their Eastern Conference Finals matchup.
The Celtics defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in their regular-season opener Tuesday 126-117.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. from FTX Arena.