On a busy Monday night in the association, the top two seeds in the Eastern Conference went at it in South Beach. The first place Miami Heat took on the second place Chicago Bulls. It was a battle that was likely to go down to the end of the game; it did not turn out that way. The Heat held control the whole first and second half. Multiple double digit scorers from the Heat propelled them to a 13-point victory.
Recap
In the first half, Miami came out strong from tip-off, leading by nine after the first period and at halftime as well. The stars of Chicago struggled to get going and throughout the game in general. Small Forward Demar DeRozan finished the game with 18 points and seven rebounds, ending his streak of 10 games with 30+ points. Meanwhile, Shooting Guard Zach Lavine could not find a great balance of shots falling. Lavine went 2-8 from three point territory, managing 22 points, but could not hit timely buckets down the stretch.
Miami had five players in double figures including: Strus, Herro, Butler, Adebayo, and Vincent. Butler was quick on the ball, too, gathering up four steals in the first quarter. Miami controlled Chicago the whole game. Highlight reel plays from Caleb Martin and Bam Adebayo shined as the fans cheered in what was deemed as the biggest game of the year so far. Simply, it was a huge win for Miami.
Up Next
The Heat will face a tough stretch over the next few games. First, Miami will travel Wednesday night, March 2nd, to Milwaukee to face the scorching hot Bucks. After that, Miami will have a road game against the Nets on March 4th and a home game against the Sixers on March 5th.