Heat vs. Bulls: Video Highlights, Twitter Reaction, Grades and More

The Miami Heat handed the Chicago Bulls their 16th loss of the season, evening the regular-season series between the teams with an 83-72 win. That represents the lowest point total Chicago has scored all season long, and served as a reminder of just how critical Derrick Rose remains for this offense.

Rose wasn't the only one sitting out, though—Chris Bosh was sidelined as well, apparently from the cumulative effect of getting bumped around every night.

Both teams appeared to miss the scoring, but the low point total also had something to do with two excellent defenses clamping down.

LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Shane Battier made life difficult for Chicago's wing options. Richard Hamilton and Luol Deng combined for just 17 points on 6-of-21 shooting.

As much as Chicago's offense struggled all night long, its 11-point fourth quarter was the obvious turning point. Tom Thibodeau's club looked tired and in desperate need of a leader. The Bulls only committed 13 turnovers, but several came at crucial moments, as the game tightened down the stretch of the third quarter.

This game may be remembered more for a series of scuffles than anything else—emotions were clearly heightened in a rivalry sure to only deepen come the postseason.

The Bulls will have a night off before attempting to bounce back at home against the Dallas Mavericks. Miami, meanwhile, will host the Washington Wizards on Saturday in what promises to be more or less a scrimmage.

With the win, Miami pulls within one and a half games of Chicago in the race for first seed in the Eastern Conference.

Video Highlights

That wasn't the last time things got feisty Thursday night.

These teams may respect each other, but it looks like they're liking each other less and less. It would be a shame to see anything short of seven games between these kind of intense competitors in the playoffs.

Twitter Reaction

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Boozer has not played well tonight. Gibson is in for him. Omer comes in for Noah -- who looks absolutely exhausted.

— Nick Friedell (@ESPNChiBulls) April 20, 2012"

It's no secret that Boozer will need to step up for Chicago in the postseason—his failure to do so consistently without Rose has to be a concern. That said, his game improves with Rose thanks to the endless pick-and-rolls. From Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports:

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Could Mario Chalmers be heading for his second zero-assist game in 1 1/2 weeks? Hard to do if you're a starting point guard.

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"— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) April 20, 2012"

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Chalmers ended up with a couple of assists, but Tomasson makes a good point: this guy has got to diversify his game a little bit if he wants to remain a starter in this league.

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Biggest difference right now, D. Wade is finishing at the rim on one end and the Bulls are settling for jumpers.

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"— Sekou Smith (@SekouSmithNBA) April 20, 2012"

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It's hard to know how much of the Bulls' shot selection was a lack of urgency, and how much had to do with Miami's solid defense. Perhaps the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

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Chicago opened 10 of 14 from the field and is 14 of 50 since. Yes, 14 of 50.

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"— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) April 20, 2012"

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At least the Bulls offense wasn't terrible for the entire game.

And Alan Hahn from the MSG Network:

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Top seed in East far from settled after Heat beat Bulls. Won't know first round matchups until next week. That's why you just play to win.

— Alan Hahn (@alanhahn) April 20, 2012"

Seriously. We'll have some important games to watch over the next few days. 

Grades for Miami Heat Players 

LeBron James: A

LeBron's 27 points might not sound like much, but they stand out in an otherwise low-scoring game. He also added 11 boards and six assists, playing his typical well-rounded game. Perhaps most importantly, he made big shots in the third quarter to swing the momentum Miami's way. This game didn't shut down any MVP discussion, but it was one more step toward doing so. 

Dwyane Wade: B+

Wade played a solid all-around game even as LeBron James stole the show. Wade added 18 points, five assists and three steals. That's not bad considering that he only took 15 shots and never tried to do too much. 

Mario Chalmers: B-

Chalmers picked up some of the scoring slack for Miami with Chris Bosh out. He had 16 points on 7-of-16 shooting, showing far more aggression than we've come to expect. Nevertheless, the PG continues to struggle as a distributor, racking up just two assists to go along with three turnovers.

Grades for Chicago Bulls Players 

Joakim Noah: B+

Joakim Noah did what he always does: give the Bulls plenty of energy on defense. He even chipped in 15 points to go along with his 10 boards. Maybe it wasn't his best game of the year, but it was a rare glimpse of hope in an otherwise dismal game for the Bulls.

Plus, Noah looked like he was working twice as hard as anyone else on his team—though, yes, he always works hard. 

Luol Deng: C

Deng just couldn't get it going against Miami's strong defensive wing. He shot just 5-of-15, missing all four of his three-pointers and three of his four free throws. Deng is a model of consistency, but this was unquestionably an off game for the first-time All-Star.  

Carlos Boozer: C+

Boozer only got 11 shots up (making just four of them), but the real story here was his ineffectiveness on the glass. In a game with plenty of rebounds to be had, Boozer secured just five of them. He was out-rebounded by both Dexter Pittman (seven) and Udonis Haslem (10). 

The Bench: D

After dominant performances in Chicago and two home wins against Miami, the Bulls bench was missing in action Thursday night. Despite an inefficient 16 points from John Lucas, the rest of Chicago's bench scored just 12 points—a far cry from the 40-plus-point performances this unit laid on the Heat in their last two encounters.