Bulls 93, Heat 86
Nate Robinson had 27 points and nine assists and hit the go-ahead shot with 1:18 remaining as visiting Chicago stunned top-seeded Miami in the opening contest of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Jimmy Butler had 21 points and 14 rebounds and Joakim Noah had 13 points and 11 boards for fifth-seeded Chicago. The Bulls had a dominating 46-32 rebounding edge and again played without forward Luol Deng (illness) and point guard Kirk Hinrich (calf).
LeBron James scored 15 of his 24 points in the final quarter and Dwyane Wade added 14 points for the Heat, who shot 39.7 percent from the field. Game 2 is Wednesday in Miami.
The Heat had a 76-69 with 6:30 remaining after back-to-back three-point plays by James. Miami’s lead was three before Marco Belinelli hit a tying 3-pointer with 1:59 left to start a game-ending 10-0 run that featured Robinson scoring the game’s final seven points.
The score was tied at 37 at halftime as James had just two points on 1-of-6 shooting and the Heat shot just 33.3 percent from the field. Miami led 62-58 entering the fourth quarter and Chicago pulled within 70-69 on Butler’s three-point play with 8:11 remaining.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Robinson suffered a lacerated upper lip in the second quarter and returned at the start of the third quarter. … Miami’s 15-point first quarter was its lowest output of the season. … Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau said Deng might be able to fly to Miami and play in Game 2. Deng has missed the last three games and Hinrich has sat out the past four outings.