Bulls Fall Short 116-113 in Rescheduled Thriller Against Heat

The home game, originally scheduled for early January but postponed due to dangerous court condensation, finally resumed Thursday night at the United Center.

Despite a furious fourth-quarter rally led by Ayo Dosunmu, the Chicago Bulls couldn't complete the comeback, falling to the Miami Heat 116-113. Miami's composed late-game execution secured their second consecutive victory over Chicago in the season, who now must regroup quickly before traveling to South Florida for back-to-back games against the same opponent in the upcoming weekend.

Dosunmu led the way with a game-high 23 points, including 15 points in the final frame. Matas Buzelis posted 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Nikola Vucevic and Kevin Huerter contributed 15 points, respectively.

Miami featured seven players scoring double-digits, anchored by Norman Powell (21), Bam Adebayo (20) and Jaime Jaquez Jr. (19).

Jalen Smith ignited the Bulls' offense with the game's first six points, but Miami quickly seized control with an 8-0 run exploiting Chicago's early sloppiness. Isaac Okoro exploded for eight points to trim the deficit to two, sparking a competitive back-and-forth exchange. The Heat maintained a narrow edge until Dru Smith knocked down a corner three. Huerter, checking in off the bench for only two minutes, immediately responded with two straight triples.

Miami reclaimed a 34-31 lead after the first quarter behind Jaquez Jr.'s four transition points. Chicago went ice-cold over the final two minutes, with Coby White missing a series of shots—including two free throws—as the quarter expired.

The Heat built their cushion while the Bulls endured a brutal five-minute scoring drought to open the second quarter. Vucevic finally broke through with a three-pointer, but Adebayo answered with five quick points to push Miami's advantage to seven. Another cold spell allowed the Heat to balloon their lead past 10 points.

Huerter capped a transition sequence with another three, followed by White's pull-up triple, but those brief sparks couldn't ignite a sustained run. Chicago trailed 62-51 at halftime.

During intermission, the Bulls announced Smith would not return due to right calf tightness after scoring 11 points in 15 first-half minutes—a significant blow to their frontcourt depth.

Buzelis opened the second half aggressively with back-to-back threes. Dosunmu added two free throws to cut the deficit to eight, but Chicago struggled to find quality shot opportunities. Jaquez Jr. knocked down a wide-open corner jumper, extending Miami's lead to 73-63.

Vucevic and Huerter combined for seven points, followed by Dalen Terry's corner three, trimming the gap to eight. White contributed five points, and Julian Phillips added a corner jumper to make it a six-point game entering the fourth quarter.

Miami pushed its cushion back to 10 points with a 6-0 run against Chicago's zone defense. Smith's and-one finish and Jaquez Jr.'s powerful drive stretched the Heat's advantage to 100-89, seemingly putting the game away.

But the Bulls stormed back with Terry stepping up with another deep three, and Dosunmu hustled for six points to keep hope alive. But Miami methodically answered every Bulls surge as Chicago's defense remained fragile.

With three minutes remaining, Dosunmu ignited a 7-0 run in under a minute. Vucevic followed with a bucket in the paint. With 15 seconds left, Dosunmu stripped Powell and drew an intentional foul, converting both free throws.

The Bulls forced a one-point game with 10.1 seconds remaining. Powell calmly sank two free throws. Rather than defending Chicago's final possession, Miami intentionally fouled White, sending him to the line. On Miami's subsequent inbound, Okoro failed to foul Pelle Larsson, allowing the sophomore guard an easy layup. Chicago couldn't convert in the final 4.6 seconds, falling 116-113.