The Miami Heat lose another very winnable game at home, fall to 2-5.
Final: Chicago 98 Miami 95
Although Dwyane Wade was the main attraction for Heat fans this game, they were also desperate to see the team avert a two-game losing streak and avoid a 2-5 record to commence the season. And while Wade had a subpar game by his standards, the Chicago Bulls still managed to top the Miami Heat, 98-95. Jimmy Butler led the Bulls with 20 points and point guard Rajon Rondo contributed 16 points and 12 rebounds. The center matchup was an interesting battle, with Hassan Whiteside producing 20 points and 20 rebounds and Robin Lopez having 16 points and nine rebounds for the Bull.
After posting 53 points in the first half, the Heat struggled and shot just 36.6 percent in the second half. It didn’t help that point guard Goran Dragic suffered an ankle injury with five minutes remaining in the third term and did not return. His process will be monitored moving forward. Dion Waiters added 16 points for the Heat and Josh Richardson had his most impressive performance since returning from injury, also notching 16 points.
Much like the Heat’s home opener against the Charlotte Hornets, this was a very winnable game at home. There were 19 lead changes throughout the game, with the Bulls never leading by more than six points at any stage of the game. Dragic’s injury was certainly a key factor, however there were multiple missed key free-throws down the stretch of the game. As a team the Heat shot 10-of-15 for 67 percent from the line. For the season, the Heat are now ranked 27th in the league from the free-throw line, converting at just 70.6 percent.
The Heat will enjoy a day off before playing host to the Utah Jazz on Saturday night.