Heat vs. Bulls: Score, Highlights, Reaction from 2017 Regular Season

Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade put their teammates on blast following a demoralizing defeat at the hands of Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday, but neither of the Chicago Bulls stars held up their end of the bargain in a 100-88 loss to the Miami Heat (17-30) on Friday night at United Center. 

Butler and Wade—both of whom were benched to start the game by head coach Fred Hoiberg—scored three and 15 points, respectively, as Chicago (23-25) struggled to keep pace with a Heat offense that was humming by comparison. 

Goran Dragic facilitated Miami's excellence, and he finished with 26 points and 11 assists while repeatedly knifing through the Bulls defense, as shown by the Heat on Twitter: 

As Dragic picked his spots and led the offense without much resistance, WPLG's Will Manso praised the point guard's improved play over the past month: 

Dion Waiters added 19 points and five boards, while Willie Reed came up large to the tune of 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting.  

Although the Bulls were generally a mess Friday, a strong second quarter helped them hang around for early portions of the second half. Led by Paul Zisper (14 points)—who started in place of Butler—the Bulls dropped 29 points in the second and outscored the Heat by nine in the frame to enter the half knotted at 53. 

Zisper notched 12 points by the time the second quarter came to a close, and that number stood out considering his career high entering Friday night was 13.

That tally also served as a stark contrast to Butler, who managed two points on 1-of-7 shooting in his first 15 minutes in an unfamiliar role off the bench. 

But once the second half rolled around, Hoiberg allowed Butler and Wade to return to their normal roles, as The Athletic's Sean Highkin noted: 

However, a return to his normal place among the Bulls starters didn't appear to jolt Butler back into a groove, according to ESPN.com's Nick Friedell: 

While Chicago's offense continued to sputter, Waiters and Dragic picked the Bulls defense apart. Dragic, in particular, got to the rim at will, and his speed in transition was too much for the Bulls to handle, as the Heat's official Twitter account documented:

Miami continued to dictate pace, and Friedell observed that the Bulls simply didn't have the physical or mental energy necessary to catch up: 

The Bulls have now lost two in a row and four of their last six dating back to their Jan. 17 clash against the Dallas Mavericks. And with the rapidly improving Philadelphia 76ers on deck Sunday, Butler and Co. will have to stop coasting if they want to snap out of their slide.

The Heat, on the other hand, have won six in a row and are starting to come on strong. But to keep that winning streak alive, they'll need to bring the same intensity to the floor that they flashed Friday to dispatch the Detroit Pistons on the second night of a back-to-back.  

Postgame Reaction

Fox Sports Florida relayed video of head coach Erik Spoelstra, Reed and Dragic discussing Friday's big effort: 

On the Chicago side of the equation, Hoiberg didn't try to sugarcoat things, calling the loss "the worst game we played all year," according to the Chicago Tribune's K.C. Johnson. 

"They hit some tough shots, we missed some good looks," he added, per the Bulls' official Twitter account. "We had an emotional day but it's not an excuse for how we played."

In the locker room, Butler discussed his poor shooting performance with reporters, as 670 The Score's Cody Westerlund documented: 

Looking ahead, Hoiberg emphasized that the Bulls have to turn things around quickly if they don't want the bottom to fall out. 

"We've got to regroup, we've got to find a way to come together," he said, per the Bulls' Twitter account. "We've got a big game against an in-form team on Sunday."