Bulls at Heat
The Miami Heat started their stretch of five “must-win” games with a victory and look to build on that when they host the playoff-bound Chicago Bulls on Thursday night. The Heat are tied with Indiana for ninth place in the Eastern Conference – trailing both Brooklyn and Boston by one game for seventh with four games left on each team’s slate.
Miami knocked off Charlotte 105-100 on Tuesday behind 28 points from Goran Dragic as the Heat ended a four-game losing streak by grinding out their third win in their last 10 games. “It ain’t got to be pretty,” Miami All Star Dwyane Wade told the Sun-Sentinel. “You’ve just got to find a way.” Chicago got former MVP Derrick Rose back in the lineup Wednesday after knee surgery kept him out since late February, but the Bulls dropped a 105-103 decision at Orlando. Rose scored nine points in 19 minutes as Chicago dropped into a tie with Toronto for third in the East – one game ahead of fifth-place Washington.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT, WPWR (Chicago)
ABOUT THE BULLS (46-32): Rose, who slated for only 20 minutes, did not play in the fourth quarter as Orlando rallied from an eight-point deficit and held the Bulls to 16 points. Jimmy Butler, who leads the team in scoring (20.1), was 5-of-6 from the field in the first three quarters before missing three of four attempts in the final 12 minutes. Center Pau Gasol leads the league with 50 double-doubles and is scoring 18.5 per contest — 15 on Wednesday — but is averaging only 11 points and shooting 34.5 percent in two games against Miami this season
ABOUT THE HEAT (35-43): Just who will be available is likely a game-time decision for Miami with Michael Beasley (knee, illness) and Mario Chalmers (illness) questionable, while Chris Andersen (foot), Hassan Whiteside (hand) and Luol Deng (knee) are probable. Wade has poured in 23.3 points per game the last three and Dragic, who is expected to play his 500th NBA contest, is averaging 16.6 points since being acquired from Phoenix. Udonis Haslem received more playing time the last two games, posting 18 points and 18 rebounds combined.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Chicago C Joakim Noah has 773 career blocks, one behind Scottie Pippen for second-most in franchise history.
2. The Heat, who have won nine out of their last 11 at home, are an NBA-best 14-0 overall when they score at least 105 points.
3. Each team has won on the other team’s home court in two meetings this season, and they split four games in 2013-14.