The Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat are the opposite of strangers. And you could tell in the first quarter. Both teams were well prepared for their NBA Cup matchup. They came into the night checking many of the same boxes. Each has ranked near the top of the league in PACE this season, while their bread-and-butter has come through scoring in the paint. This led to a back-and-forth affair to start the night, even as Miami struggled to shoot efficiently throughout the first quarter. The main reason for that was the offensive glass, which Chicago struggled to control only two nights prior against the Portland Trail Blazers. Miami was shooting in the low 40s, yet still had a 36-32 advantage at the end of the first quarter because of the second-chance opportunities. With the Bulls playing their fourth game in seven days, Billy Donovan was quick to go deep into his bench. He played 11 players in the first quarter alone and went to his 12th man in the second quarter. The depth wasn’t able to make the same difference fans had grown accustomed to, however, especially against a Heat team that came into the night with EIGHT players averaging double-digits. The second quarter was a borderline disaster. Similar to last year’s Play-In Tournament game, the Heat found a groove they couldn’t break. Chicago went through a scoring drought that lasted nearly three and a half minutes, which led to Miami’s first double-digit lead of the night. From this point on, the Heat were in full control. They won the quarter 34-20 and walked into halftime with a 70-52 lead. As we looked toward the third quarter, I wondered if the Bulls could flip the script and take on the role of the comeback kids. They had blown countless leads over the past few games, and this was the opportunity for them to prove that they could return the favor. The opposite happened. To be honest, I do not have much more to say. Miami completely dominated in the second half. The Bulls were never able to come within striking distance and only looked worse as the game went on. As much as I’d like to rip into them more, this is a game they simply have to flush. The Bulls suit up in less than 24 hours from now against the Wizards in what is a must-win game. Gross. Player Grades Is it even worth commenting on each performance? I’m going to enjoy my Friday night instead … Ayo Dosunmu – B+Stats: 23 PTS, 4 AST, 2 BLK Josh Giddey – BStats: 19 PTS, 11 REB, 9 AST Jalen Smith – BStats: 14 PTS, 2 REB, 2 AST Tre Jones – C-Stats: 6 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST, 1 BLK Matas Buzelis – D+Stats: 6 PTS, 5 REB, 1 AST, 2 BLK Patrick Williams – D+Stats: 8 PTS, 2 AST, 1 BLK Nikola Vucevic – DStats: 6 PTS, 3 REB, 3 AST Kevin Huerter – N/AStats: 3 PTS, 2 REB Ejected … Chicago Bulls Box Score Check out the full box score here.
