DeMar DeRozan scored 28 of his game-high 37 points in the second half as the visiting Chicago Bulls beat the Miami Heat 116-108 in the season opener for both teams on Wednesday.
Ayo Dosunmu had 17 points while Nikola Vucevic tallied 15 points and 17 rebounds for the injury-depleted Bulls, who played without starting guards Lonzo Ball and Zach LaVine.
Jimmy Butler had 24 points and eight rebounds for Miami, while Tyler Herro scored 23 points and Max Strus made five 3-pointers off the bench and finished with 22. Bam Adebayo had 12 points and nine rebounds, and reserve Dewayne Dedmon chipped in 11 points.
Goran Dragic scored 12 points and Coby White had 10 for Chicago, which forced 19 turnovers and snapped a four-game losing streak against the Heat. The game was tied at 59 at the half before Chicago’s offense came alive in a dominant third quarter. The Bulls outscored Miami 37-27 in the period while shooting 15 of 22 (68.2 percent) from the field.
The Heat opened the game by making six 3-pointers to lead 33-28 after the first quarter. They were 6 of 20 from beyond the arc for the rest of the game.
Herro, who moved into the starting lineup after being named Sixth Man of the Year last season, made three 3-pointers and scored 11 points in the opening quarter.
Miami stretched its lead to 43-34 with 8:39 left in the second quarter on Max Strus’ trey, but Chicago entered the break tied at 59 after finishing the half on a 25-16 run.
The veteran Dragic, who spent nearly seven seasons with the Heat, sparked the Bulls’ rally with nine points in the second quarter on three 3-pointers. Butler led all scorers at the break with 17 points.
With DeRozan spearheading the charge, Chicago controlled the third quarter and moved ahead 81-68 with 5:54 left after scoring 12 straight.
DeRozan had 19 points in the quarter for the Bulls, who took a 96-86 lead into the final period.
Miami battled back and cut the deficit to four with 6:19 remaining on Strus’ 3-pointer. Chicago responded with seven straight points, including Vucevic’s trey with just under five minutes left. DeRozan’s 3-pointer put the Bulls ahead 112-101 with 3:23 remaining, and Miami was unable to threaten in the final minutes.
–Field Level Media
