No Noah, no problem for Bulls in Miami
There's really no other way to describe what happened Sunday than by stating the obvious: There have been better days in Miami.
The Bulls' first trip to South Beach since LeBron James fled north found the Heat also missing Chris Bosh, who sat out with a calf strain.
The Bulls were missing Joakim Noah for the third straight game with a sprained right ankle but still had more than enough to roll past Miami 93-75 at American Airlines Arena. The Bulls ended their eight-game streak of scoring 100 points but held the Heat to its lowest point total of the season.
Mike Dunleavy led the Bulls with 22 points and did most of his damage during an incredible third quarter. While scoring 19 points in the third, Dunleavy hit 7 of 8 shots from the field and all 3 of his 3-point attempts.
"When you hit that zone, you let it fly and you know it's going in. It's a great feeling to have," Dunleavy told reporters after the game. "With what we have, there shouldn't be many nights where we struggle offensively. If the outside shots aren't going, we have many ways to get inside, and we can push the ball. We've got a lot of options."
The Bulls got off to a sluggish start, scoring just 14 points in the first quarter, their season low for any quarter.
"It was your typical Sunday in Miami," Dunleavy joked. "It seems like everybody had a big Saturday night."
Just like Friday against Portland, the Bulls turned things around early in the second quarter. Trailing 20-14, Aaron Brooks and Taj Gibson scored all the points in an 11-0 run, and the visitors never again trailed.
The victory improved the Bulls' record to 15-8, a game behind Atlanta for third place in the East. The Bulls could make up more ground when they play the Hawks on Monday. Coming up next week, the Bulls play the top two teams in the East on back-to-back nights, playing Toronto at home and Washington away on Dec. 22 and 23.
Ex-Bull Luol Deng and Chicago native Dwyane Wade led Miami with 17 points each. This was just the second time the Bulls have played against Deng since trading him to Cleveland last year on Jan. 7.
Another streak that came to an end Sunday was Pau Gasol's run of eight straight double-doubles. He didn't even get a single double against the Heat, finishing with 9 points and 9 rebounds.
Jimmy Butler scored 17 points and Gibson had 15. Derrick Rose scored 11 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter.
"No matter what the score is, I still have to be myself in the fourth quarter," Rose said. "(Coach Tom Thibodeau) is always telling me I should always be more aggressive in the fourth."
The Bulls outscored Miami 58-30 in the middle two quarters and led by as many as 26 points. The Heat shot 35 percent from the field overall.
"A guy like Chris is irreplaceable," Wade said after the game. "All we ask for and hope for is he can get back as soon as he can when he's healthy."
The Bulls expect rookie Doug McDermott to miss 4-6 weeks after he underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.
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