Bulls run out to huge lead, then hang on to beat Heat
MIAMI (AP) — Coby White scored 26 points, Ayo Dosunmu scored 24 off the Chicago bench and the Bulls ran out to a huge lead before hanging on to beat the Miami Heat 124-116 on Thursday night.
Nikola Vucevic finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists for the Bulls. White had 11 assists and seven rebounds, while DeMar DeRozan scored 23 for Chicago.
The Bulls started the game on a 33-8 run and never trailed.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 22 for Miami, which was playing on the second night of a back-to-back. Jimmy Butler scored 20, Kyle Lowry and Caleb Martin each had 17, and Kevin Love had 16 for the Heat.
Chicago's 25-point lead in the opening quarter was the second-largest such edge in the NBA this season — Boston led Washington by 26 — and the Bulls' biggest edge in the opening period of a game since they led Golden State 35-8 on a jumper by Michael Jordan on Jan. 31, 1997.
And then the comeback tries started. Many of them, in fact.
Miami got it down to 14 by the end of the first quarter. Chicago then ran the lead back out to 24 and the Heat rallied again — a 27-7 run helped them get within 60-56 at halftime.
The trend never stopped. Miami was within three early in the third; the Bulls went on a burst to get the lead back to 14. The Heat closed to 105-101 on a layup by Lowry with 7:10 left; Chicago quickly pushed the lead back to 11.
Back they came again — Butler made a free throw with 2:46 left to cut the lead to 113-109. But Dosunmu hit a 3-pointer on the next Chicago possession, and that was the last gasp for the Heat.
Alex Caruso returned to the lineup for Chicago — and then quickly departed again with another injury.
Caruso had missed the Bulls' last two games with a sprained left ankle. He started Thursday and had six quick points, then got tangled with Vucevic just 4:45 into the game and hurt the same ankle. He went into the locker room for evaluation and was ruled out for the rest of the game.
Miami was again without Bam Adebayo (hip), Josh Richardson (back spasms), Haywood Highsmith (back) and Tyler Herro (ankle). But Herro — who has missed 17 consecutive games — said he could return as soon as Monday's game against Minnesota that will end a four-game Heat homestand.
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The teams play again Saturday in Miami, their fourth and final meeting of the regular season.
