The Miami Heat closed the third quarter on a 10-1 run to beat the Chicago Bulls 97-91.
The Bulls went on a 12-4 run to lead 63-57 with 3:28 left in the third quarter. Goran Dragic’s 3-pointer put the Heat ahead for good with 26 seconds left in the quarter. They took a 67-64 lead after three quarters and led by as many as 14 in the fourth quarter.
The Bulls got within 70-68 on Kris Dunn’s 18-foot jumper with 8:38 to play, but Tyler Johnson answered with a corner 3-pointer, and the Bulls got no closer.
Late in the fourth quarter, Bam Adebayo had 2 steals, 1 of them during an 8-0 Heat run, and the Heat scored 5 points off them.
Dragic had 20 points and 6 assists, and Hassan Whiteside added 13 points (10 in the paint) and 14 rebounds.
For the Bulls, Lauri Markkanen had a career-high 25 points (13 in the second quarter) and 8 rebounds, and Robin Lopez added 22 points.
The Heat shot 41.0% from the field and 38.7% from 3 to the Bulls’ 40.4% and 25.0%. They outscored the Bulls 45-24 off the bench. The Heat outscored the Bulls 17-6 in 8 minutes with Dragic, Ellington, Johnson, Winslow and Adebayo on the floor together.