Heat shut down Bulls for fifth straight win

[November 23, 2019]  Jimmy Butler scored a team-high 27 points on 7-for-10 shooting, and the visiting Miami Heat coasted to a 116-108 win over the Chicago Bulls on Friday night.

Heat center Bam Adebayo finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds to notch his eighth double-double of the season. Kendrick Nunn (21 points), Goran Dragic (16) and Kelly Olynyk (10) also scored in double digits for Miami, which increased its season-high winning streak to five games.

Zach LaVine led the Bulls with 15 points on 6-for-14 shooting. Coby White and Thaddeus Young scored 12 points apiece to lead a spirited effort from the reserve unit for Chicago, which has lost four of its past five.

Miami led by double digits for the majority of the game, but Chicago cut the deficit to 108-101 with 1:19 remaining in the fourth quarter after Denzel Valentine drained a 3-pointer that capped a 20-5 run for the Bulls.

The Bulls trailed 85-67 entering the fourth quarter. Olynyk made two free throws with 26.3 seconds left to cap the third-quarter scoring.

Nunn, who grew up in Chicago and attended the same high school as NBA veterans Derrick Rose and Jabari Parker, provided a highlight to the hometown crowd with a dunk early in the third quarter. Butler assisted on the play.

Miami raced to a 67-43 lead at the half. The Heat led by as many as 26 points before the break.

Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) is fouled by Chicago Bulls center Wendell Carter Jr. (34) during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

The 24-point halftime deficit marked Chicago's largest since March 23, when they trailed the Utah Jazz by 34 at intermission.

Adebayo dominated the Bulls in the paint in the early going. He had 14 points and eight rebounds in the first half.

The Heat opened the game on a 15-0 run before Lauri Markkanen finally put the Bulls on the board with 6:56 remaining in the first quarter. Miami gradually expanded the lead to 20 points when a 3-pointer by Dragic made it 31-11 with 2:37 to play.

DePaul alum Max Strus made his NBA debut for the Bulls. He had five points on 2-for-3 shooting.

--Field Level Media

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