Two days after the Miami Heat bested the Chicago Bulls in Chicago, the Bulls returned the favor in the Heat’s house, earning a 125-118 win inside Kaseya Center Saturday evening.
Amid absences to Coby White, Josh Giddey and Nikola Vucevic, the shorthanded Bulls were led by guard Ayo Dosunmu, who had one of his best games of the season. He scored 29 points on 11-of-16 shooting — including 5-of-6 from deep — with eight rebounds and nine assists in 36 minutes.
Chicago outscored the Heat 69-55 in the second half, including 35-21 in the third quarter.
Miami made a valiant comeback effort in the fourth quarter. Though they ultimately couldn’t generate enough stops against the Bulls, who shot 52.3 percent from the floor with 20 made 3-pointers. The Bulls scored at least 30 points in three of the four quarters, including 34-plus over the final two.
Bam Adebayo recorded 21 points — 15 coming in the fourth alone — with 11 rebounds on 7-of-18 shooting. Heat guard Pelle Larsson filled up the statsheet with team highs in scoring (22) and steals (5), adding seven boards and four dimes in 33 minutes.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. has continued his strong third season. The 6-foot-7 wing had 20 points, six boards, a team-high seven assists, two steals and one block off the bench. He went 8-of-16 from the floor.
The two teams will square off for the third time four days on Sunday inside Kaseya Center.
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Could be another shit show today with legs of jelly. Spo got out coached last night. That jump ball setup late in the game was idiotic. Spo lets everyone but Ware play through their mistakes especially Jovic who certainly at this point doesn’t resemble a NBA player. What has that guy done to deserve his salary extension i.e. lottery ticket? His game is totally pathetic. Riley has made several serious contract gaffes handcuffing this roster for years like….Waiters, Johnson, Whiteside, Lowry plus the incredulous, inexplicable fact that DWade in his whole Heat career was NEVER the highest paid player on the team. Add his latest with Jovic and also to pile on…to win a meaningless playin game last season thereby not qualifying for the draft spot which Dallas had to draft Flagg. Am I dreaming? Well I would’ve taken my chances on that one. Lastly I’m hoping Riley doesn’t overreact by gutting the roster & future drafts to get the Greek. Morant? On South Beach? No thanks!
“…to win a meaningless playin game last season thereby not qualifying for the draft spot which Dallas had to draft Flagg. “
I too hated this move with a passion. Made the playoffs only to get annihilated by a record breaking margin by a team who was out the next round…..embarrassing so glad I didn’t watch a single minute scratch that not even a single millisecond of any game. It’s that bs heat culture that’s why they made the playoffs. And like you said would’ve been in Dallas position and who knows maybe not number 1 but top five!
Also for the 5th time Mia will face it’s heated rival the vaunted chi bulls for their 5th straight playin championship…..stay tuned
Yup. I also lobbied strongly that it was important for the Heat to lose that game and get a lottery pick. At least one person said he wanted to see the Heat get into the playoffs to have 4 more games with Eric Reid, and that they could beat anyone in the east. I said no way and we got totally humiliated by the Cavs. If we had gotten Flagg, we wouldn’t G A S about the current trade deadline now. I recently wrote that if the team doesn’t add strength by the deadline, I’d rather they be sellers and accumulate draft picks. The same person again didn’t like that idea and again said they’d rather get 4 more playoff games. If someone complains about mediocrity, they should understand there are a couple of ways to get out of this cycle. One is to utilize all your assets in a trade for a ss. If you gut this team and add Giannis, you will be better but, imo, not good enough to compete with the elite teams. The other way is to accumulate draft picks to add very good young players and to trade other picks to build a real contender.
“At least one person said he wanted to see the Heat get into the playoffs to have 4 more games with Eric Reid, and that they could beat anyone in the east.“
heatforlife……I remember vividly
Also some saw it as the young players (ware, pelle, jjj) getting experience when again does nothing if your gonna get blown out every game and in ware’s case not even play enough minutes to gain experience
Nothing was gained last year making the playoffs besides Mia becoming a laughingstock
im guilty four more evenings of ereid and rc posts sounded good until the game started.
I used to feel the same about the Cowboys and the Suns, but I moved on. I hate profit driven owners whose greed outweighs their desire to put a quality team on the field or court. It is compounded when they are also incompetent. At least I’m honest about it rather than having puppet masters blow smoke up my @$$ year after year. This team needs an enema, starting at the top.
If Riley trades Ware and Jaquez, I think I’m going to follow them and their new team as I followed Dragic to Miami from Phoenix 11 years ago. This management is beginning to remind me a lot of the dysfunctional one in Phoenix back in those days.
It’s hard building a winning team when you have contracts tied up in so much dead weight such as Herro, Rozier and Jovic. The illusion of having a contending team (while the owner’s profits are soaring is just not cutting it with the fans any more. It’s time for change .
Dude what kind of heat fan admits that yeah then you might as well go already as for me 305 till I die
I’m a sports fan, not a cult member. I follow teams I choose to follow and am not limited to a geographical location where I live/have lived. I’ve never been to Florida in my life and will probably never go there. I’m on the other side of the country and political spectrum, California.
I used to feel the same about the Cowboys and the Suns, but I moved on. I hate profit driven owners whose greed outweighs their desire to put a quality team on the field or court. It is compounded when they are also incompetent. At least I’m honest about it rather than blindly accepting puppet masters blow smoke up my @$$ year after year. This team needs an enema, starting at the top.
It’s been a crazy year, one day we look pretty good, and you get optimistic. The next day everything you see that’s wrong emerges again. Being average in this league is unlike being average in any other sport. In most sports, going from average to good takes five or six improvements. In the nba it only takes two upgrades. And, going thru the process in other sports can take five years while in basketball it can take only two if done very well, but to do it that quick you need a top draft pick.
We go back and forth on which path we should follow. I’m not going to pretend I know. But, if it was me, and again, I’m not saying I know best, but I would trade Herro, send Jovic to the GLeague, and trade KJ. I would extend Powell and Wiggins, with Powell getting a little more in salary. If either Powell or Wiggins wasn’t happy, I would trade Wiggins also, but still try to keep Powell. I would acquire a back up big, but a decent one, what we call here a two wayer, as he would backup both Bam and Ware, who would play together. For all the trades or in free agency I would try to acquire another Wiggins type, 6’8 to 6’10”, a two wayer, who was an established A- type, a really good player. I would keep Davion, Dru, Jaimie, Pelle, and Simone. In the next draft I would try to draft another point guard and I would then possibly trade Davion and sweetener for a SF. Or, even better, I would draft another SF type player, 6’6” to 6’8”, a two wayer, and keep Davion. The draft pick would be best athlete available.
Thats what I would do if I were GM.
Was that the worst game of the season? Most frustrating for sure.
I m not sure if heat put together 5 minutes of decent basketball in that game.
My dream scenario for the heat from trade deadline til end of the season.
Do nothing trade deadline
Lose enough games to get mia to 11th seed below cha and into a higher lottery pick
Do not repeat last year by being in the playin beating our playin rivals the bulls and get destroyed by whatever 1/2 seed in the playoffs
Speaking of lottery picks since it looks like silver isn’t rescinding that pick from cha he owes Mia one and the draft lottery goes in Mia favor and they end up top 5
In the top 5 they have Aj Peterson boozer flemings Wilson. My wish flemings
Offseason. Players to unload any and everybody who doesn’t fit the new timeline or who don’t fit here at all honestly herro Wiggins Powell bam jovic get picks/players to fit around your new franchise guard flemings and franchise center ware. Also speaking of new timeline maybe try to get a grimes kuminga Mitchell Robinson Daron Sharpe etc etc
Have ware spend his entire offseason watching film of Hakeem Shaq Robinson Duncan kg dirk and hopefully someone in the org can pull some strings to have him around any one two or three of them
Pat retires after landing the team their new cornerstone player number 5 pick like he did with wade and ride off into the sunset and Mia finally embraces the youth movement rebuild.
Again this is just my thoughts, rather than run it back with bandaids and duct tape only to end up in the playin time and time again
I agree that is probably the best route.
Ware in the doghouse again for his crappy defense. He needs to be on a young developing team like Charlotte or Washington so he can make mistakes and develop on faster a timeline.
I think crappy d is a cop out for spo. Jovic was beyond terrible, the guy is 6’10 but plays like he’s 5’8, his shot has fallen off the cliff, 4 years in the league with barely any post moves, no type of middy game. Somehow played 15 mins like a chicken with head cutoff. The bulls have Patrick Williams, and jovic is our version of that. If ware played 15 mins and jovic played 3 mins, then I think we would of won this. I don’t understand why spo loves small ball so much, it’s like an obsession or a kink fetish. Like hfl likes to say that was a sposcratcher. We should of tanked last year, but spobot didn’t want to smh. I’m sorry about the rant but that lost left a bad taste in mouth. We will be playing the bulls in the play in forever. Pat just trade herro and ware and whoever else for giannis, since spo don’t like playing ware .
Jovic was beyond terrible offensively, true, but defended well, that’s why he stayed in the game. When opposing team shoots 50 % for 3p, he is more useful then Ware, so I understand why Jovic was there and Ware not.
Still, only Gardner, JJJ and Pelle were positives in this game, with all the rest bad, and Jovic beyond bad. If there would be another mobile big available, he shouldn’t play.
I get that he was better defensively… that’s fair, but ware only had 3 mins, which is not a lot of time to get in the flow of things. plus if they’re gonna still end up shooting 50 percent with jovic in, then what’s the point of having jovic in, if he ain’t providing nothing offensively? I’m not asking a lot, it’s his 4th year, he got his contract, he needs to step up or go into doghouse. Other then that I agree with everything you said, I’m just aggravated with the loss.
I feel the same. I said Jovic shouldnt play, but there is no another option with similar qualities. Its more a critics of team construction then anything else.
About Ware, its a classical dilemma. Ware provides more in offense, and provides less in defense in that game then Jovic Spo opted to go with Jovic. Since we lost, he was wrong.
If you would take your take your glasses off and see that Bam covers for two to 3 players. Ware is a center who should not be covering for small ball players. Spo should sit Ware until he’s traded. That should make you happy.
Not really. Weird game, weir decisions.
Riley has Spo force feeding Jovic on the team until he proves his extension wasn’t a huge mistake. Meanwhile, every time he walks on the court he screws up. He has no clue what his limitations are and consistently tries to emulate styles of play he is not suited for. He isn’t Jaquez and he sure isn’t Luka WTF is he trying to Eurostep and lay soft shots in when he gets near the rim when he should be dunking tf out of the ball.
He’s a big p***y trying to masquerade as an NBA PF. He needs to grow a couple and start playing like a full grown man, not like a 16 year old kid on a park playground court.
Now Riley is going to be hesitant to extend players like Jaquez and Larsson for what they are worth for fear of screwing up again. If that happens, I can see both of them declining bs extensions and signing elsewhere. The loyalty of players and fans have limitations.
when kasper is playing 27 mins and ware whos upside better than bams is getting 3 filmboy has lots explaining to do.when jovic is playing one minute dumbot has some explaining to do.brother big thanks for the mention in your always great posts i think this coach has destroyed wares confidence and enthusiasm gotta ship him out and if im him i dont want to be near a dumbot coached team
I think spo problem is he is too stubborn, sometimes he just rides with a player too long thinking they’ll snap out of a cold streak. It works sometimes and other times it’s a failure and to slow to adjust. Sposcratcher indeed.
Absolutely! Playing Jovic and leaving Ware on the bench is going to blow up in Spo’s face.
It seems he has lost his mojo following his divorce and quitter’s departure. Maybe it’s time for Spo to move up and Riley to move out, regardless what happens before Thursday’s trade deadline.
Riley better not include Jaquez in any trade deal. He’s the heart and soul of the second unit. I bet there are teams that would give him a shot at PG. He’s #3 in rebounds, #2 in assists, #4 in scoring and current favorite for 6moy. He’s a keeper.
Yes, and this isn’t the first time it blew up in his face, I’m ready for both to move up and out, but i don’t see it happening anytime soon. I also feel the same way about, I’ll feel good as long as we can hold on to him.
Yeah, I can’t think of any reason Ware should get only 3 minutes in any game. Despite mistakes, he is one of the best young big men in the league. He cannot possibly overcome mistakes by sitting on the bench for 45 minutes!
to upright in his defensive position like crutty pointed out,still def a 35 minute guy.except in dumbots head.charl has arrived u put ware on that team they might be a top 4 team in the east.unfort the ware bam hasnt worked one needs to go there both starters in the league but they dont play well together.its their fault more than dumbots fault.bron and wade figured it out these guys havent
This is a top notch analysis of the current situation. Changes are needed.
So much for creating separation with the Bulls behind us. One more game
If you gut this team and add Gianni’s you do not have an elite team FTS!
when u trade a greek away your team becomes like an expansion team.theyre prob looking for lots 1st rnd picks and a good young player or two.timeline says jjj ware not bam or herro.if u dont get greek your staring at mediocrity until u get a greek type player.its tough call sun but im all in on greek and i want to see ware away from glorified film boy.anyway.
Giannis is great, but adding him and subtracting everyone else plus draft picks won’t get you to OKC or Celtics level.
Exactly. In a year or two you’ll have a pissed off frustrated Gianni’s demanding to be traded to a contender. It’s fools gold and I hope doesn’t fall for it and seel the team’s future for it. One trade won’t compensate for years of mismanagement.
Btw, how many of Miami’s unsigned development projects are still with the team?
And we know who will be complaining the loudest.