Despite the absences of Terry Rozier and Jimmy Butler, the Miami Heat offered themselves the right to face Boston in the first round of the playoffs, for a classic of recent years. Beaten in Philadelphia for their first play-in match, the Floridians rectified the situation last night with a full match against Chicago, under the leadership of Tyler Herro, a hair away from the triple-double (24 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists).
After a hesitant start (6-11), Erik Spoelstra's men quickly took the measure of the Bulls. By relying on a defensive wall which generated a real offensive surge, a 26-2! Jaime Jaquez Jr first launched a 19-0 with a 2+1 then a 3-pointer, accompanied by the Herro-Jovic-Highsmith trio. Kevin Love outbid with a 3-pointer full of touch before seeing Tyler Herro complete this crazy series by snatching a ball to better serve Haywood Highsmith in the alley-oop (32-13).
The Bulls hang on… then collapse
The Bulls entered survival mode, led by a more aggressive and more skillful DeMar DeRozan with 12 points in the second quarter including a 3-pointer at the head of the racket to respond to Duncan Robinson's two arrows and initiate a 9-0 ( 42-31). Enough to completely restart the match since Chicago was only 10 points behind at the break (47-37).
The Heat managed their lead after returning from the locker room, even if Chicago returned to -7 at the start of the third quarter on a new basket from DeMar DeRozan (49-42). 3-pointers from Tyler Herro and Caleb Martin combined with two dunks from Jaime Jaquez Jr allowed Miami to stay on course. Even Bam Adebayo scored a 3-pointer to bring the score to 70-56.
It was finally with a 12-0 conceded to end the third quarter that the Bulls definitively gave in, facing the skill of Kevin Love on the free throw and the Herro-Wright pair from afar (82-60) . Tyler Herro and Kevin Love on 3-pointers quickly put an end to the suspense and Miami was able to advance to a final victory 112-91 synonymous with qualification for the playoffs.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– An outbreak of fire. The Heat could not have dreamed of a better start with this 19-0 which transformed into a 26-2 to have up to 20 points in advance, with defense and aggressiveness in attack in the image by Jaime Jaquez Jr, very incisive from the start, Haywood Highsmith and even Nikola Jovic. Leading very quickly very early in a match is never a gift, but the Floridians knew how to manage their lead until the end almost without trembling.
– Tyler, that Herro. The fullback ran the shop like a veteran, doing everything, including five assists in the first quarter to give his teammates confidence. He also shone with his scoring and important baskets, to calm the enthusiasm of the Bulls. Even if he falls just short of what would have been his second career triple-double (24 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists), his +/- of +32 says a lot about his impact during the game. . The man of the match alongside a very good Jaime Jaquez Jr, with 21 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists.
– The Black Hole by Coby White. Hero of the first play-in match against Atlanta with his 42 points, the leader of the Bulls this time experienced a much more difficult evening. Miami had of course given him preferential treatment, like the two blocks from Nikola Jovic and Caleb Martin on him at the end of the second quarter. Too clumsy (5/16 shooting, 13 points, 4 assists, 3 lost balls), too messy, like these Bulls who still go out the back door.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
