FINAL FROM MIAMI: Bulls 105, Heat 89. Bulls: (12-40, 6-20 on the road).
LEADING SCORERS: Bulls: Portis: 26. Miami: T. Johnson: 15
LEADING REBOUNDERS: Bulls: Markkanen: 13. Miami: Olynyk and Whiteside each with 9.
LEADING ASSISTS: Bulls: Dunn and Selden each with 8. Miami: Waiters and Winslow each with 5.
CCI RECAP: The Bulls arrived in Miami Wednesday at 4AM following a tough loss Tuesday night in Brooklyn. The Bulls-Heat contest was the second game of a back to back. The Bulls were physically and mentally fatigued. Prior to the game, the Bulls learned their leading scorer Zach LaVine would be sidelined with an ankle issue. Many fans, I assume, expected the Heat to win going away. What happens? The Bulls showed grit, spirit and character. Bobby Portis took over in the second half scoring 22 of his 26 in the final two quarters, 15 in the fourth quarter. Wayne Selden Jr. continues to impress, as he poured in 20 points (4- 3s) and dished out a career-high 8 assists. Lauri Markkanen registered his third straight double-double of 14 points and 13 rebounds. The Bulls shot 51% from the floor, 42% from 3-point range and 81% from the line. After committing 18 turnovers against the Nets, the Bulls recorded only 11 against the Heat. Meantime, the Bulls scored 23 points off 15 Miami turnovers. The Bulls were solid in the paint scoring 48 points. A great, great win.
CCI IN THE LOCKER ROOM: "The thing about Bobby is he takes ownership of his play good or bad. He’s had the knee, ankle and elbow injury all in the same season and says a lot about his mental toughness." - Coach Boylen.
UP NEXT: At Charlotte Saturday.
CCI 24 SECONDS NBA NEWS AND NOTES
Boston 126, Charlotte 94: Terry Rozier had 17 points and tied a career high with 10 assists. Kyrie Irving missed his second straight game with a left hip strain.
Sacramento 135, Atlanta 113: Trae Young’s last three games: 26 ppg. 8 assists. 63%fg. 42%-3ptfg% 87%FT.
Dallas 114, New York 90: Dirk Nowitzki in perhaps his last appearance at MSG scored a season-high 14 points. Dennis Smith Jr. notched his second career triple-double. The seldom used Enes Kanter finally got some floor time and kissed the floor at MSG. Seriously? New York stands at 10-40 dropping its 11th straight game. The Knicks tied a franchise record with their 12th consecutive home loss. In their last 29 games they’ve won three times. Wowza.
Washington 107, Indiana 89: Life without Victor Oladipo is tough. Real tough. The Wizards bench scored 58 points. Indiana fell to fourth place in the EC.
Minnesota 99, Memphis 97 OT: Karl-Anthony Towns buzzer beater won it for the T-Wolves. Don’t look now but Minnesota has won four straight. Memphis has lost 12 of their last 13 road games.
Denver 105, New Orleans 99: Nikola Jokic collected his eighth triple-double of the season (20-13-10) as the Nuggets won their fourth straight. The Pelicans played without five key players.
Portland 132, Utah 105: The Blazers own the fourth best record in the WC. Lillard and McCollum combined for 66 points.
Thanks for reading CCI. Reach out at cswirsky@bulls.com or Twitter: @ctsbulls. Always a pleasure!