Chicago Bulls squeak out a 99-96 win over the short-handed Heat
LeBron James was not allowed to take to the court of the United Centre on Saturday night by Miami’s medical staff, while Chris Bosh limped off of the court in the third quarter after hurting his ankle.
All of sudden it was up to Dwyane Wade to carry the Heat, and he nearly pulled it off.
The ace sharp-shooter banged in three from downtown in the final one and a half minutes to keep Miami alive in the game. The phenomenal shooting guard however, drained a last-gasp attempt for three as the Chicago Bulls edged out the short-handed Heat 99-96.
Derrick Rose, who scored a match-high 34 points and eight assists - including two crucial jumpers down the stretch - couldn’t help but get impressed by his shooting counterpart.
Rose praised Wade by saying, "You can't do anything about that when somebody is jumping at a player and he's (Wade) fading away and hitting threes. You got to chalk it up. ... In the NBA that's the type of shot you want people to take and he was making them
tonight. He's (Wade) a tough player."
Wade finished with 33 points, six boards, four assist and four blocks as he single-handedly took the match down to the wire. However, just when the Heat though they might have done enough, Kyle Korver retrieved a loose ball and hit a three-pointer with 25
seconds left. That gave Chicago a 98-96 lead; one they never relinquished.
Wade reflected on Derrick Rose’s performance and the last ditch efforts after the match. He said, "Both of us do our best to lead our teams. I try to do the same thing. When my team looks down and out, I try to lead them back. In the fourth I got my body
going and with the guys out there I just tried to win the game. We were one rebound away from having an opportunity to steal the game."
Wade and Bosh provided all the early scoring as the Heat kept pace with an explosive Bulls offence upfront. However, Chicago finally busted through the Heat defence as they reeled off an 18-4 run, bridging the first and the second quarter to romp into the
ascendancy.
Staring at a 33-19 deficit early in the second frame, Miami drilled two triple pointers to start a comeback. The rear-guard action saw them rattle a 17-7 run midway through the frame, which pulled them within two entering the last two minutes of the half.
The Heat finally ended the half with a barrage of long-range shots, as they went into half time leading by 53-48.
The Bulls stormed into the third stanza with a renewed intensity, and set the court ablaze with a viscous 17-0 spurt, that sparked them to a 10-point lead midway through the period. Bosh however, stepped up to the challenge scoring 11 in a 15-6 spurt, to
make it a one-point game with three minutes to go.
Bosh though, hurt his ankle in the closing seconds of the period, as he went to the floor during a scramble for the ball. He returned briefly in the fourth, but was unable to continue. Miami though, continued to remain within striking distance even after
his departure. However, every time they surged close, the Bulls seemed prepared with a counter-punch.
The nerve wrecking thriller entered its last two minutes with the score at 87-90 in favour of the Bulls. At that point, a 23,017 strong crowd witnessed an intriguing old-fashioned shootout between two of the best shooting guards in the league, Rose and Wade.
The duo poured in some unbelievable shots to marshal their teams, but Wade was doing it from long-range which eventually sparked Miami to 96-95 lead, as the teams headed for a time-out with 34 seconds to go.
The Bulls roared back into the game with a bang as Kyle Korver unleashed a game-breaking three pointer to wrest back the advantage. On Miami’s next possession, Wade pressed down the lane but a shored up defence gave him no room to manoeuvre as he nearly
lost the ball.
To his reprieve, Mario Chalmers scrambled for the ball and went for a long-range shot. Chalmers’ three-point attempt from the key was way off mark though, and to complement the ordeal he also committed a foul, handing the home team two crucial free throws
with 4.4 seconds to go.
Ronnie Brewer missed the first but made the second from the charity stripe, as Chicago immediately called for a time-out.
Wade tried to make it four three’s in a row in the dying seconds of the game, but his fade away jumper was off target as Chicago survived to win the game 99-96.
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