The Miami HEAT defeated the Chicago Bulls 100-88 Friday night at United Center. Goran Dragić led the way for the HEAT with 26 points.
1. Dragić Does It All
From the opening tip, the Dragon breathed fire against the Bulls. In fact, Dragić connected on his first five shots thanks to some aggressive takes both in the half court and in transition. The Slovenian didn’t slow down in the second half either. Instead, he played even faster.
Let’s take a look at a perfect example of that late in the third quarter. With 5:01 left in the period, Dragić swiped an errant pass from Jimmy Butler and raced down court. After faking Doug McDermott out of his shoes, the point guard finished the nifty finger-roll on the other end.
Other than plays like that, Dragić also knocked down a bunch of jumpers off solid screens from his teammates. In addition to his 26 points on 12-of-20 shooting, the 30-year-old also led the team with 11 assists and three steals.
2. Reed Shines
Willie Reed sure knows how to take advantage of a start, eh? The center had put up big numbers in each of his previous four appearances in the starting lineup, and Friday night was no different.
While the center made his presence felt early on, he really came through in the fourth quarter with six points, three rebounds and an assist. Throughout the contest, Reed timed his cuts very well for some easy dunks and finishes inside. On the flip side of the ball, he did a great job on Taj Gibson and made him a non-factor in the second half.
In all, Reed tallied 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting and five boards.
3. Good Defense Leads to Easy Offense
After the Bulls shot 48.8 percent in the first half, the HEAT really locked things down from there to blow the game wide open. In fact, Miami held Chicago to just 33.3 percent shooting after halftime. What’s more, the Bulls committed 20 total turnovers, which the HEAT turned into 26 points.
Other Takeaways:
-Wayne Ellington caught fire in the second half and kept Miami ahead after a huge run in the third quarter. As a whole, the swingman continued to move well off the ball and knocked down catch-and-shoot jumpers. In all, Ellington scored 14 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out two assists.
-Dion Waiters got off to a quick start early on, as he mixed things up with difficult finishes at the rim and catch-and-shoot 3-pointers. The 25-year-old finished with 19 points and five rebounds on the night.
Game Note:
-Hassan Whiteside (sprained right ankle), Tyler Johnson (strained left shoulder), Josh Richardson (left foot sprain), Justise Winslow (right shoulder surgery) and Josh McRoberts (left foot stress fracture) sat out.
Looking Ahead:
-The HEAT are back in action Saturday night at 7:30 PM against the Pistons. Tickets for that game can be found here.