Bulls at Heat
The Miami Heat are off to the best start at home in franchise history and with the way Jimmy Butler is playing there doesn't appear to be a letup coming anytime soon. Butler will try to lead the Heat to their 10th straight home victory to start the season when they host the Chicago Bulls on Sunday.
Behind Butler's second triple-double in a span of three games, Miami opened a four-game homestand with a 111-102 win over Washington on Friday. "It's easy to do that when you have the ball in your hands all the time," Butler joked with reporters after producing 28 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. The Bulls were enjoying their first winning streak of the season with back-to-back triumphs to open December, but it ended with a 100-98 loss to the Golden State Warriors at home Friday night. After scoring 32 points in the third quarter, Chicago managed 15 in the fourth while falling to a team that entered the night with the worst record in the NBA.
TV: 6 p.m. ET, NBCS Chicago, FS Sun (Miami)
ABOUT THE BULLS (8-15): Chicago led by nine points with roughly 11 minutes left against Golden State before it coughed up its chance for a three-game winning streak. "It needs to be more of the 48 (minutes)," coach Jim Boylen told reporters. "That's the development part. So, as much as I like some of those moments, there are moments when we've got to do better." Zach LaVine led the team in scoring for the eighth straight time with 22 points while Wendell Carter Jr. paced the squad in rebounding for the seventh consecutive game with 12.
ABOUT THE HEAT (16-6): Center Bam Adebayo recorded his 12th double-double with a career-high 24 points and 14 rebounds against the Wizards as he continues to elevate his game on both ends of the floor. "We're putting more on his plate all the time," coach Erik Spoelstra told the media of Adebayo. "He's the center version of Jimmy Butler, in terms of being a two-way player." Rookie Tyler Herro snapped out of a slump with 22 points on 10-of-18 shooting after averaging five points on 28.6 percent through the first three games this month.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Bulls F Thaddeus Young missed the Golden State game for personal reasons but will return in Miami.
2. Heat PG Goran Dragic missed the last three games with a groin injury and F Justise Winslow sat out Friday's win with a back issue.
3. Butler scored 27 points and Adebayo had 16 and 14 rebounds in a 116-108 win at Chicago earlier in the season.