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Butler's 31 points carry Bulls past Miami

The first significant snowfall of the season kept the crowd down at the United Center on Saturday, and inside the Bulls locker room, there was talk about the weather.

Dwyane Wade pulled on a pair of white tights that resembled long underwear and teammate Jimmy Butler chimed in, “It's not that cold out.”

Wade, the longtime Florida resident, replied, “I like my legs compressed.”

Whether its about staying warm or not, Wade is keeping his legs in good shape. He flashed plenty of athleticism while leading the Bulls on an 18-2 early in the third quarter.

Every point made a difference as the Bulls had to hold off the short-handed Miami Heat 105-100. Butler led the way with 31 points, while Wade added 28.

“We found a way to get a win,” Wade said. “We lost a game like this early in the year against the Lakers. In this league, there are going to be some nights you play amazing. There are going to be some nights when you play just good enough to get a win. Never begrudge a win.”

This game had some violent undertones. Boxer Floyd Mayweather sat in the front row and Wade sent former Miami teammate Tyler Johnson reeling after hitting him in face with the ball during fourth quarter. Wade, who swung the ball in front of him with Johnson in proximity, was called for an offensive foul.

The Bulls also created plenty of contact between whistles. They hit 28-of-31 free throws, with Butler leading the way by going 15-for-16.

“I thought early on, we were going through the motions a little bit,” Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. “We picked it up in the second half. We'll get better, but I'm glad we got this win tonight.”

The game was tied 55-55 at halftime. Wade must have decided enough of that, because he sparked the 18-2 run after Miami's Wayne Ellington opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer. Now in his 14th NBA season, Wade had a couple of dunks and an acrobatic spin through traffic while scoring 11 of the Bulls' 18 points in the run.

“Dwyane had it going tonight,” Hoiberg said. “I thought he had a lot of pop, good legs, the and-one dunk he had looked like a young 22-year-old Dwyane Wade.”

Even after the Bulls built a 13-point advantage, this one wasn't over. Miami climbed within 91-87 with 7:22 left on an Ellington's jumper, then Johnson's 3-pointer made it 97-96 with 4:20 remaining.

Butler answered with a 3-point play off a lane drive and another free throw made it a 5-point game. The Bulls kept missing and Miami closed within 101-100 on Hassan Whiteside's short jumper with 13 seconds left. Butler knocked down 2 foul shots and the Heat fumbled a pass on their final chance, with Butler snagging a steal and clinching free throws.

Playing to the level of competition has been an issue for the Bulls. Miami started the night with a 7-16 record and was missing a few regulars, including forward Justise Winslow and guard Dion Waiters. The Heat was also playing its fourth game in five nights.

Hoiberg mixed up the rotation slightly, leaving guard Isaiah Canaan on the bench for his first DNP of the season. Jerian Grant, back after a game with the Windy City Bulls, and Denzel Valentine played short minutes. Doug McDermott, Nikola Mirotic and Cristiano Felicio saw the bulk of the bench time. And for the 13th game in a row, the Bulls were outscored in bench points.

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