Heat Look To Jump Up In Standings Against Desperate Bulls
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MIAMI (CBSMiami/SportsDirect) – As the NBA season hits the home stretch teams are making their final pushes towards the postseason.
The Chicago Bulls are running out of chances to close the gap on the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference while the Miami Heat are closing in on homecourt advantage in the first round.
The Bulls will try to make up some of the two-game gap on the Detroit Pistons at the expense of the Heat when they visit Miami on Thursday.
Chicago appeared to be making its way back into the race with wins in three of four games following a four-game slide but could not find its way around the depleted Memphis Grizzlies in a 108-92 road setback on Tuesday.
The Grizzlies had dropped six straight before forcing the fading Bulls into 20 turnovers.
The Heat tried to offer Chicago some help on Tuesday and rolled past the Pistons 107-89 after getting Dwyane Wade (back, neck) back from a two-game absence.
Wade delivered 16 points in 25 minutes and Miami moved within a half-game of the third-place Atlanta Hawks.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT, WGN (Chicago)
ABOUT THE BULLS (39-39): All-Star Jimmy Butler managed only five points and Derrick Rose (elbow) went 5-of-15 from the field in his return from a two-game absence on Tuesday.
"(Memphis) was the absolute aggressors in that game,'' Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg told reporters following the loss. "It's very disappointing. Very disappointing. To throw away an opportunity like this, especially with Detroit losing tonight. I told the guys, 'I've never quit in my life, I ain't quitting on you now.' We're going to keep going out and fighting, try and get these guys right and go with a good effort in Miami."
Forward Taj Gibson (ribs) missed his fourth straight game on Tuesday and is not expected to play on Thursday.
ABOUT THE HEAT (45-32): Miami lost at the lowly Los Angeles Lakers and at Portland in a 1-2 West Coast trip but looked like a different team in rolling past Detroit upon its return home on Tuesday.
"It was good to be home and good to see us play with a lot more energy on both ends," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters. "I thought we were more aggressive (Tuesday), had a better disposition. So we'll take it."
Miami will play three of its final five games on the road, including stops in Detroit and Boston next week to close the regular season.
BUZZER BEATERS
- Bulls F Nikola Mirotic is averaging 20.2 points in the last five games and is 23-of-45 from 3-point range in that span.
- Heat G Josh Richardson is 6-of-8 from beyond the arc in the last three contests.
- Miami took each of the previous three meetings this season by an average of 15 points.
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