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Rose Looked More Aggressive as Chicago Bulls Complete Comeback to Beat Miami Heat

By Matthew Price

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The Chicago Bulls played against the Miami Heat Thursday night in the American Airlines Arena without the help of Jimmy Butler, and the Bulls finished the game off with their 47th win of the season.

The match was a must win for the Bulls who, after losing to the Orlando Magic yesterday, fell to the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. That means that the Bulls will have to play against the Washington Wizards in the opening round of the playoffs (assuming they finish the season as the fourth seed), and this would be a very tough matchup for Chicago. Although the odds are still against the Bulls to acquire the third seed in the East, tonight’s win helped them in their journey. The Raptors play against the Magic tomorrow, and the Bulls will be watching the game closely because if Toronto loses, Chicago will regain control of the third seed.

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Pau Gasol and Derrick Rose both started off with a hot hand, and together they scored the first 14 points for Chicago. Gasol had eight points, and Rose had six. For the Heat, Hassan Whiteside continued his fantastic play from when the Heat last played Chicago in January, starting the game with 8 points on 4-5 shooting in the first. The Bulls were controlling the tempo and did a great job of out-rebounding the Heat to end the quarter.

The second quarter was a completely different story. The Bulls began by shooting just 1-11 from the field, and this allowed the Heat to go on a 26-6 run. Shots, even wide-open ones, were simply not going in for Chicago, and once the Miami players and crowd got into it, they didn’t look back. Former No. 2 overall pick Michael Beasley scored 13 points on 5-5 shooting during the run, and the final score at halftime was 51-32.

Whatever coach Tom Thibodeau said at halftime to the Bulls inspired them very well, because they started and finished the third quarter on a 33-8 run to regain the lead. You read that right, the Bulls allowed only 8 points in the entire quarter after giving up 33 in the second. Rose was very aggressive, and it was pleasing to see him continually driving to the rim and trying not to settle for jumpshots. What really fueled the run was Chicago’s defense: they guarded the Heat players very closely, crashed the glass, and forced turnovers. The score was 65-59 at the end of the quarter.

The Bulls were still dominating once the fourth quarter began, going on a 6-0 run that consisted of two long-range jumpshots and a fantastic lob pass from Joakim Noah to Taj Gibson. It was impressive to see how supporting and energetic the Heat fans were in an attempt to have Miami make one last run to try and take the lead, but it was to no avail. A pair of 3-pointers by Mirotic helped bury the Heat once and for all, giving the Bulls the victory, 89-78.

Biggest Takeaway from the Game: Derrick Rose played very aggressively in his second game back. He was much more aggressive than yesterday against the Magic, and he was constantly looking to drive to the rim in the second half. He finished the game with 21 minutes, 12 points on 5-15 shooting, two assists and four rebounds.

Random Tidbit: Chicago was 0-9 from downtown at halftime. They also shot 3-24 in the second quarter, with every basket made only by Gibson.

Playoff Outlook: With the win, the Bulls retake control of third seed in the East, but if the Raptors win tomorrow against Orlando, then Chicago will fall down to the fourth seed again. Either way, this victory helps ensure that the Bulls, should they play the Wizards, will have home-court advantage.

Player of the Game: Pau Gasol – 16 points on 8-17 shooting, 15 rebounds, 1 assist

In conclusion, it was a fantastic comeback win for the Bulls, who desperately needed to leave Miami with their 47th win. Chicago’s next game is against the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday, April 11. We are still not sure if Jimmy Butler will be playing, but thanks so much for reading!

Next: Harsh Reality Is Looming for Chicago Bulls in Playoffs

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