Wade caps 48-point night with steal, 3-pointer
MIAMI - At the end of an exhausting double-overtime game, the Bulls thought they found a matchup that would work. But Miami star Dwyane Wade proved that he can disrupt any strategy.
Wade capped a 48-point night by stealing the ball from Bulls forward John Salmons, then draining a running 23-foot shot at the buzzer to give the Heat a stunning 130-127 victory.
It was a valiant effort by the Bulls, who used just seven players because of injuries to Luol Deng and Tim Thomas. Guard Kirk Hinrich, who traditionally guards Wade very well, was limited to just 19 minutes because of a bruised right knee. Three Bulls played at least 50 minutes, with rookie Derrick Rose topping out at 55.
"We played a good game, both teams," Wade said. "Credit the Bulls. This is one of those games for the ages."
Ben Gordon (43 points) nearly matched Wade shot for shot. Gordon scored 18 points during the final 7:28 of the fourth quarter, including 5 baskets from 3-point range.
The only problem was, Gordon missed the first of 2 free throws with 20.7 seconds left with a chance to ice the game. That gave Wade the opening he needed, and he drilled a 3-pointer to tie the score with 11.5 seconds on the clock. On the last play of regulation, Derrick Rose missed a driving bank shot and Joakim Noah's tip didn't fall.
In overtime, it was Wade's turn to miss a pair of free throws that would have clinched the game for Miami with 17.1 seconds remaining. After Salmons tied the score by hitting 2 clutch foul shots with 3.7 seconds on the clock, Wade got to the hoop with plenty of room to finish a reverse lay-in, but it hopped off the rim.
The Bulls (29-35) fell behind 124-119 in the second overtime. But they fought back to tie the score with a minute left on Tyrus Thomas' follow slam.
Wade's driving lay-in put the Heat ahead before Salmons nailed a 19-foot jumper with 37.9 seconds remaining. Miami (34-29) missed on its next possession, giving the Bulls a chance to win.
Coach Vinny Del Negro chose to have Salmons use his speed advantage against Heat power forward Udonis Haslem. But when Salmons spun near the top of the key, Wade moved over to knock the ball loose and throw in the game-winner.
Deng will sit out at least two more weeks with what he called "very small, not even a hairline" break in his right leg. If the injury doesn't improve in two weeks, he will consider surgery that would end his season.
Deng missed his fourth game Monday since aggravating the injury Feb. 28 against Houston. He tried to run in the morning and felt more pain, prompting the decision to shut him down for now.
He has conferred with doctors in both Chicago and Miami about the issue and said he felt satisfied that there's now "a consensus" on how to go forward.
"In two weeks I might feel great," Deng said. "In two weeks I might not feel so well. If I could take the pain I'd definitely be out there."
Associated Press contributed