Six Bulls players score in double figures in loss to Heat

Without Lauri Markkanen and the rest of the team’s core starters, the short-handed Chicago Bulls struggled against the Heat. 

In an attempt to find ways to outscore a healthy Miami Heat squad that just added star center Hassan Whiteside (hip) back to the starting lineup, the Bulls had trouble keeping up without players like Lauri Markkanen (rest) and Cristiano Felicio (back).

The Bulls lost 103-92 to the Heat on Thursday night in Miami after solid scoring efforts from Chicago’s entire starting lineup. Noah Vonleh and Bobby Portis both tallied double-doubles on the night, but it was not enough to overpower the fast-paced Heat offense.

The Bulls starters and sixth-man Bobby Portis all scored in double figures. But as for the rest of the team? They were invisible throughout the entire game. The lack of bench scoring and poor shooting lead to the demise of the Bulls, and it didn’t help that center Robin Lopez was ejected with just under nine minutes to play in the game.

The relatively stout Bulls defense did an exceptional job of forcing the Heat offense to work for their shots, limiting Whiteside to 8 points in 19 minutes and James Johnson to 2 points in 30 minutes. Similarly, Bulls small forward Denzel Valentine was held to 4 points in 24 minutes.

Both teams looked dreadful from three-point range throughout the contest. The Bulls went 6-26 from downtown, while the Heat only hit seven shots from beyond the three-point arc. Chicago shot a meager 37 percent from the field as well.

Key performers

After joining the Bulls in early February, Vonleh has proven that he is a solid young forward who can be quite valuable to Chicago’s offense. Thursday night, Vonleh scored 14 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to secure another double-double in 33 minutes. As a former top 10 pick, Vonleh still has an enormous amount of potential at only 22 years old.

Earning another double-double, Portis was arguably the most important player on the court for the Bulls with Markkanen resting. As the only bench player to score in double figures, Portis scored 13 points and snagged a game-high 16 rebounds.

David Nwaba played a game-high 35 minutes and fell just shy of his own double-double with 15 points and 7 rebounds. For the play of the game, Nwaba spun through three defenders and slammed home a big dunk in the first five minutes of the contest.

Game flow

In familiar news, the Bulls also played without Zach LaVine (knee), Kris Dunn (toe), and Paul Zipser (undisclosed).

The Heat dominated the tempo throughout the entire night and the Bulls never found a way to catch up. Starters Goran Dragic and Josh Richardson led the Heat in scoring and combined for 39 points.

In the second half, the Bulls had multiple chances to cut into the Heat’s lead after going on small, occasional scoring runs. With just over nine minutes left in the game, those opportunities to make a comeback were thrown out the window when Lopez got heated after a costly foul he committed. Lopez gifted a three-point play to the Heat and, after disagreeing with the referees, he was ejected under a minute later in the fourth quarter.

It didn’t help that head coach Fred Hoiberg was given a technical foul earlier in the game, either. This was only Hoiberg’s second technical of the season, but moments like this illustrated exactly how things went for the Bulls throughout the night.

Season outlook

After seven straight losses, the Bulls (24-51) are currently the third worst team in the Eastern Conference.

Next: Anniversary of Michael Jordan’s career-high 69 points

There are only seven games left to play in the season for the Bulls, and the next one will be an important tank battle against the Orlando Magic on Friday night at 6 p.m. Central Time.