Call it another example of heat culture. Call it another example of a well-constructed roster with quality depth.
Make sure you call it another Miami win in a big game.
Tyler Herro scored 24 with four 3-pointers, rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 21, and the Miami Heat defense held the Chicago Bulls in check, cruising to a 112-91 win in the final play-in game in the East.
“These games are fun. Play-in games are fun,” Eric Spoelstra said after the game (via Brady Hawk). “I’d rather not play in the play-in game, but play-in games are fun.”
For the second consecutive season, the Miami Heat advanced as the No. 8 seed and faced the Boston Celtics in the first round. Miami won that series a year ago, which took them all the way to the NBA Finals, but at least this season they will have to start that series – on Sunday in Boston – without Jimmy Butler. The Heat announced that he has a sprained MCL and while they did not provide a timeline for a return, Jeff Stotts at In Street Clothes Notes that even mild sprains typically take about three weeks before the player can return to the field. That shut down Butler for the entire series.
Heat fans, be careful what you wish for. This is a better Boston team than it was a season ago.
The season is over for the Bulls. For the second consecutive year, they are seeded No. 9 as the front office and ownership focus on continuity. The team has big decisions to make this offseason, like a new contract for DeMar DeRozan and whether they can trade Zach LaVine.
While Miami stepped up players on offense – Kevin Love had 16 points off the bench – it was their Bam Adebayo-led defense that made the difference. Miami held Chicago to 38% shooting overall, and the Bulls’ 91 points tied their season low. DeMar DeRozan had 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting, but Adebayo sat on him for a while and kept him relatively under control, and no one else was efficient for Chicago. Coby White, who had 41 against the Hawks, finished with 13 points on 5-of-16 shooting.
Ultimately, it showed just how far apart these two franchises currently are. Miami will be aggressive this season and they are looking to add a new star scorer to the mix with Butler to chase rings. Chicago this summer…check back for an answer.
