No rest, no problem: Bulls sprint to lead, hang on to sweep Heat
Who knew Patrick Beverley and Billy Donovan would be such a perfect match?
Beverley led the Bulls to an impressive victory Saturday over the Miami Heat. Coming off a double-overtime game against Minnesota the previous night, the Bulls jumped to a 27-point lead, gave most of it back but hung on for a 113-99 victory.
The Bulls swept the three-game season series over Miami and are now 7-4 since Beverley joined the squad, with a pair of last-second losses.
"Should be 9-2. We've got to be better," Beverley said after the game.
Asked how his presence has changed the team, Beverley answered," It's not change, I've just got a coach who believes in me and understands what I bring to the game of basketball.
"A lot of coaches in this league (didn't) put the ball in my hands. (Former Clippers coach) Doc Rivers was the first coach that actually gave me the ball and let me play. And Billy was the next one. When coach has faith in you like that, you don't want to let him down."
The Pat Bev Effect was evident in the second half of the game, when the Bulls let their big lead slip and hung on.
Beverley was on fire early, hitting 4 straight 3-pointers in the first half. The Chicago native added his fifth 3-pointer early in the third quarter. But the game changed when Beverley was hit with 2 fouls within seven seconds, one on each side of the floor, and had to sit down with 5 fouls at the 7:14 mark of the third quarter.
The Bulls led by 22 when Beverley left and the advantage was down to 6 when he returned at the 9:28 mark of the fourth. The veteran point guard later had to leave when he got hit in the eye by teammate Nikola Vucevic, but everything ran smoother with Beverley back on the floor and the Bulls pulled away again.
"I know he's added a lot of value to our team, there's no question about that," Donovan said of Beverley. "I just love his presence, his competitiveness, the way he comes in even today on a back-to-back trying to get guys like, 'We've got to be ready to play.'
"I love his message and disposition and the way he is every day. He's got a great motor and great enthusiasm, loves the game and loves competing. And I love being around him, because he's a rally genuine guy and he's a straight-up guy. I just love his passion. It's helped our team, I don't know if it's changed our team."
After playing 52 minutes on Friday, DeMar DeRozan delivered another huge effort. He finished with 24 points, 10 assists and 3 steals, while hitting 10 of 15 shots.
Zach LaVine and Coby White finished with 18 points each, while Beverley had 17. The Bulls tied their season-high with 34 assists, and White hit some key 3-pointers late in the game, which is becoming a trend.
"Just shooting with confidence, but I feel like most of the year, the fourth quarter I've been hitting," White said. "People were telling me if the whole game was the fourth quarter, you'll shoot the heck out of the ball. I just shot it with confidence, I was open tonight, that's all it was."
Alex Caruso didn't play in the second half after aggravating a sprained foot.
The Bulls should have been exhausted after going to double overtime with Minnesota on Friday. Miami had the night off, but maybe the night in Chicago was a more tiring event.
According to his Instagram, ex-Bull Jimmy Butler took some teammates to Maple & Ash Steakhouse in the Gold Coast, so nothing too crazy. The Bulls rolled to a 70-45 advantage at halftime, shooting 61.7% overall and 9 of 17 from 3-point range.
Twitter: @McGrawDHSports