Chicago Bulls vs. Miami Heat: Postgame Grades and Analysis
No lead ever seemed too secure, but the Chicago Bulls managed to escape South Beach with an 89-78 road win against the Miami Heat.
"It's a game of runs," the cliche goes, but it held true on Thursday night—perhaps as much as in any NBA game this season. On the back of a scorching stretch from Michael Beasley just before the halftime buzzer, Miami took a 19-point lead following a tightly contested first quarter, capping a 26-6 run for the home team.
After scoring just 27 points in the second half, the Heat lost that lead and were victims of a 31-6 Bulls run that had them up by double digits in the third.
Miami would never make a threatening run at the lead again.
| Derrick Rose | B- |
| Tony Snell | C+ |
| Pau Gasol | B+ |
| Joakim Noah | C+ |
| Rest of Team | B |
| Goran Dragic | B- |
| Dwyane Wade | D- |
| Michael Beasley | B |
| Hassan Whiteside | A- |
| Rest of Team | D- |
Chicago Bulls
Derrick Rose: B-
Still in the early phases of a comeback geared toward postseason action, Derrick Rose was restricted to 20 minutes on Thursday—none of which came in the fourth quarter. He scored 12 points on 15 shots, dishing two assists, grabbing four boards and turning the ball over three times.
He came out firing, for sure—he and Pau Gasol were the lone Bulls players to score the team's first 12 points. He opened up with six points on 3-of-6 shooting over seven minutes in the first quarter, including a two-handed dunk off a feed from Joakim Noah.
His defense was reliable as well—he drew a charge on Goran Dragic early in the second quarter and nearly forced a turnover a few possessions earlier.
He's clearly working himself back into shape, as he wasn't effective from in close and heavily dependent on his jumper.
It's important for Rose to get his wind back, but playing in crunch-time minutes will surely help his adjustment period for the postseason.
Tony Snell: C+
Filling in for the injured Jimmy Butler, Tony Snell wasn't able to put together much of anything against Miami. He went scoreless on three attempts over 17 first-half minutes and finished with seven points on 2-of-8 shooting to go along with five boards.
He was also responsible for passable defense against Miami on the wing.
After playing a decent role over the bulk of the season, Snell had seen his role limited entering this spot start. He'd averaged just five minutes over the last three games, combining for just two points.
Heading into the postseason, Butler will presumably handle a major load, but it'll be important for Snell to be able to contribute in a smaller role.
Pau Gasol: B+
The Bulls would've needed to dig out of a sizable hole early on if it hadn't been for Gasol's offensive contributions. He put up 10 points on 5-of-11 shooting in the first quarter, finishing with 16 points and 15 rebounds.
He was a presence throughout Chicago's third-quarter resurgence, when the Bulls marched back from 19 down to take a six-point lead entering the fourth period.
It was the result of a 31-6 Chicago run, which Gasol was able to fuel with various key boards and buckets from in close.
Joakim Noah: C+
Joakim Noah was responsible for a handful of productive plays that didn't show up in the box score, but his final stat line on Thursday was one to forget. He finished up with just three points on 1-of-6 shooting, posting six boards and four assists.
He made a nice pass leading to Rose's dunk in the first half, and a number of other dishes that weren't converted into points.
But for Chicago to contend deep into the playoffs, Noah needs to be more of a factor—especially against a floundering Miami team.
Rest of the Team: B
Aaron Brooks was the most notable reserve for Chicago, filling in for Rose on the first team once the fourth quarter hit. He was reliable from the outside and ran the offense while Chicago pulled away late in the game. He had 14 points in 24 minutes.
Mike Dunleavy was a team-high plus-26 for Chicago, scoring 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting—just one of those five makes were from three. He also grabbed five boards.
After a quiet first half, Taj Gibson came up huge for the Bulls during their comeback surge in the second half, finishing with 6-of-12 shooting resulting in 14 points to go with 12 boards.
Nikola Mirotic struggled in a limited role for most of the night, playing just 17 minutes. He finished with nine after scoring his first field goal with just four minutes left in the game.
Kirk Hinrich posted two points, two turnovers and an assist in 13 minutes.
Miami Heat
Goran Dragic: B-
The Heat struggled from the field through most of the evening, but Dragic improved as the game went on. He finished with 15 points on 7-of-16 shooting and came through for Miami a number of times during its comeback attempt late in the fourth.
He only finished with a single assist, though. The Heat had just 14 assists all night.
It wasn't a flawless outing for the Heat point man, as he opened up struggling with his jumper and committed a pair of costly turnovers.
But Miami's midseason acquisition was a factor over his 33 minutes, especially considering Mario Chalmers' struggles off the bench.
Dwyane Wade: D-
Dwyane Wade's start to this one was far from ideal. He began ice-cold from the field—save for a slick up-and-under for two in the first quarter.
He sat during the second quarter when Miami went on its Beasley-fueld surge and returned in time to drill a rare three-pointer. After that? Not much.
He made just three of his first 12 shots and finished with nine points on an abysmal 4-of-20 shooting clip. He also committed a game-high five turnovers.
The Heat began to slip early in the second half, missing their first 10 shots from the field immediately after that large turnaround before the half. Wade came up limping with an apparent hip ailment in the third but carried on to play 38 minutes.
Michael Beasley: B
Beasley was responsible for the late second-half run that gave Miami as big as an 19-point cushion before halftime. He hit his first five shots from the field and three from beyond the arc, scoring 13 points over his first 11 minutes.
Unfortunately for the Heat, Beasley would finish with those 13 points over 19 minutes and Miami wouldn't control momentum for a second in the second half.
Hassan Whiteside: A-
As he typically does, Hassan Whiteside managed to impact the game in both painted areas against Miami.
He was the Heat's most reliable scoring option over the course of the game, repeatedly connecting on jump hooks and putbacks from in close, and manning the middle defensively. He swatted away just one shot but impacted several others.
His final line was 19 points and 16 boards with a block.
He committed a lazy turnover on an errant pass under his own rim in the fourth quarter, while Miami was attempting to steal back the lead. It was one of his two turnovers on the night.
Rest of the Team: D-
Luol Deng disappointed again for the Heat, going for only eight points on 3-of-13 shooting. James Ennis converted on a nasty slam early in the game and finished with six points on three shots.
Chalmers struggled from the field, going 1-of-6 and missing both his attempts from three. He finished with two points and two assists to go with a pair of turnovers. Chris Andersen made two buckets over his 10 minutes but didn't have a great impact on the final outcome.
Up Next
The loss brings Miami to 35-44, falling 1.5 games behind the Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics for the Eastern Conference's eighth-best record.
The Heat have three games left in the regular season: at home against the Toronto Raptors, at home against the Orlando Magic and on the road against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Improving to 47-32, Chicago takes over sole possession of third place in the East, overtaking the Toronto Raptors. The Milwaukee Bucks are locked into the No. 6 seed and will play the No. 3 team in the East in the playoffs. The No. 4 vs. No. 5 matchup will include two of the Bulls, Raptors and Wizards.
Chicago faces Brooklyn and Philadelphia before hosting the Atlanta Hawks to close out the regular season.
