Heat at Bulls
Miami forward Luol Deng returns to Chicago as a visiting player for the first time when the Heat visit the Bulls on Sunday. Deng spent nine-plus seasons with Chicago before being dealt to the Cleveland Cavaliers during last season and signing with Miami as a free agent. Deng is averaging 14.3 points while starting 40 games and shooting 50.1 percent from the field, the second-highest percentage of his career.
Chicago posted back-to-back wins over San Antonio and Dallas after enduring a rough stretch in which it lost six of eight games. Jimmy Butler had an all-around strong effort in Friday’s victory over the Mavericks with 20 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three steals. “It means we can beat any team when we put our mind to it,” Butler told reporters. “I feel like we’re deep and we play hard. And if we do what we’re supposed to do, we can beat anybody.”
TV: 1 p.m. ET, ABC
ABOUT THE HEAT (19-24): Miami held a 20-point lead late in the third quarter and had to survive on Friday with an 89-87 victory over the Indiana Pacers when C.J. Watson’s open 20-footer from the corner rimmed out as time expired. “The way this season has gone for us, I don’t care if we won by 20 or we won by a point or half a point,” Dwyane Wade told reporters. “We got a win.” The Heat shot just 35 percent from the field earlier this season in a 93-75 loss to the Bulls on Dec. 14, a contest in which Chris Bosh sat out with a calf injury.
ABOUT THE BULLS (29-16): Pau Gasol has put together five straight double-doubles and has grabbed 33 rebounds over the last two games. Gasol is averaging 15.6 points and 14 rebounds during the streak and has season averages of 18.4 points and 11.6 rebounds. Joakim Noah was back after missing four games with an ankle injury, had six points and seven rebounds versus Dallas and admitted he got a little winded while playing 23 minutes.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Miami has lost seven of its last eight visits to Chicago.
2. Heat C Hassan Whiteside (ankle) is day-to-day and will likely miss his third straight game.
3. Bulls F Mike Dunleavy (ankle) is expected to miss his 13th consecutive game but is close to returning.