Josh Richardson leads Miami Heat past Bulls in Hassan Whiteside’s return

It was a productive night for Josh Richardson, as the Miami Heat earned a win over the Chicago Bulls.

Former Tennessee Volunteer Josh Richardson was not highly touted by scouts for his skills on the offensive side side of the ball coming out of college.

Viewed as primarily a defender, the 6-foot-6 guard has made strides as a scorer, becoming a member of the Miami Heat two years ago, a trend that manifest itself once again Thursday night.

Richardson scored 22 points and grabbed five rebounds and Goran Dragic added 17 points and five assists, as the Heat trounced the Chicago Bulls, 103-92 (despite losing Tyler Johnson with sprained right ankle in the second quarter).

For Miami, Justise Winslow notched 13 points off the bench and Dwyane Wade registered eight points, despite the team shooting just 7-of-27 from beyond the arc.

In his return from a hip injury, Hassan Whiteside notched eight points and seven rebounds in 19 minutes.

With the win, the Heat are now just one victory away from clinching a spot in the postseason for the first time since 2016.

David Nwaba led Chicago with 15 points and Noah Vonleh recorded 14, as the Bulls have now lost seven consecutive games.

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On a night in which Miami struggled to find their rhythm from beyond the arc, it was Richardson who proved to be the catalyst behind another win bolstered by stout defense and timely scoring.

The Heat led for much of the night aside for a short stint in the opening quarter. Miami outscored Chicago in every period but the second. Knocking down 50 percent of his field goal attempts, Richardson routinely spurred the Heat forward offensively despite the struggles as of late.

Trailing throughout, the Bulls cut a 19-point deficit to 12 following a quick 7-0 spurt, after center Robin Lopez was ejected for picking up two technical fouls with 8:43 remaining.

Kelly Olynyk, who has quickly developed into Miami’s secret weapon, had other plans.
Olynyk scored six straight points down the stretch for the Heat, who had 48 bench points as a team.

Now just half a game behind the Washington Wizards for sixth in the Eastern Conference, Miami is entering a crucial stretch as the regular season nears its close.

If Thursday night was any indication, they may be on the right track on both ends of the floor. Despite lacking a completely healthy roster for much of the season, Miami has managed to remain competitive and now lay just one task short of making the playoffs.

For the year, Miami averages 11 made 3’s per game and is 16-of-56 in their past two games, despite winning both of those contests.

Having won five of their last seven, the Heat are in excellent shape to enter the playoffs riding a wave of momentum. For that to happen, they’ll need all hands on deck. Limping into the playoffs is unacceptable to fans in South Florida and they have no issue voicing their displeasure when things go awry.

Next: What the Miami Heat proved to the Cavaliers and Eastern Conference

The Heat (41-35) will remain home for a a Saturday night matchup with the Brooklyn Nets. Tip off is scheduled for 7 PM ET.