CHICAGO — The Miami Heat eliminated the Bulls to advance in the play-in tournament for the third consecutive season, dominating Chicago on Wednesday night en route to a 109-90 win.
Tyler Herro scored 38 points and connected on his first eight shots, and the Heat never trailed while leading by as many as 25 points.
Miami will play at the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night for the opportunity to meet the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Hawks lost at the Orlando Magic during Tuesday’s play-in game.
Chicago swept Miami 3-0 in the season series, giving the Heat added respect for the Bulls entering this game, according to Miami coach Erik Spoelstra. That led to the Heat’s increased intensity on defense.
“Chicago humbled us this year,” Spoelstra said. “They have a unique style of play, the way they play with that pace, and they score. They had two games where we felt like we were in control of the game both times in the fourth quarter and they came storming back and had some impressive scoring quarters. Our guys really respected how much they could score.
“To hold that team to 90, it’s not an easy task.”
Chicago’s 90 points were the fewest it had scored in a game this season.
The Bulls’ struggles went up and down the roster. Josh Giddey finished 9-for-21 from the field (2-of-7 from 3) for 25 points, while Coby White was 5-for-20 (3-of-12 from 3) for 17 points with seven turnovers. Chicago’s bench scored 13 points, also a season low.
“They punched us first, and we didn’t respond the way we had to,” Giddey said. “Credit to Miami. They’re well-coached; they’re a good team. They’ve been in this position before, as some of our guys here. We obviously knew what was at stake tonight. We just didn’t come out with the right mentality, the right mindset. And it’s what happens — you lose, your season’s over just like that.”
Meanwhile, the Bulls had no answer for Herro. He hit three 3-pointers but also shot a perfect 8-for-8 on layups and floaters, according to ESPN Research.
“It was in a lot of different ways,” Spoelstra said of Herro. “He’s making a lot of those plays in between that are unscripted; but we’ve also been able to develop that game, which requires everybody seizing those moments and seeing it, developing an IQ to be able to get to that, to be able take advantage of his skillset, particularly when he’s off the ball.”
Both teams entered the contest planning to control the pace. The Bulls were the second-fastest team in the NBA by pace this season, according to NBA.com, while the Heat ranked 27th. Yet, Miami dictated the action from the opening tip. The Heat led 71-47 at halftime, its largest lead at the break this season. The Bulls cut the deficit to 13 early in the fourth quarter, but the Heat pulled away.
“We felt we shouldn’t have dropped those three throughout the season,” Herro said. “We felt like we’ve won almost every quarter we’ve played against them except for one or two each game and then they were able to win at the end.”
Chicago had been one of the hottest teams in the league over the past month, going 15-6 since March 6 to close the season. But after finishing with the same record as last season at 39-43, the Bulls were not able to get past the Heat for a third straight year.
According to Elias, this marked the 19th time in NBA history one team eliminated another single opponent (in the playoffs or the play-in) in three or more consecutive seasons and the fifth such occurrence since the 2000-01 campaign.
“We feel we’re much better than the way we played tonight,” Giddey said.
Yet, it is Miami that will advance to face the Hawks. Atlanta, like Chicago and Miami, has been in the play-in tournament for three straight seasons. If the Heat make the playoffs, it would be their sixth consecutive playoff appearance, which would match a franchise record.
“Job’s not finished; we knew what our path was,” Herro said. “It’s going to take two wins on the road, which we’re capable of. Just got to keep this same focus.”
