Norman Powell scored 21 points, Bam Adebayo posted a double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds, and the Miami Heat survived a late surge to edge the Chicago Bulls 116-113 on Thursday night.
Miami built a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter and was up 104-92 with just over eight minutes remaining before Chicago stormed back, outscoring the Heat 21-12 down the stretch to make it a one-possession game in the final seconds.
Ayo Dosunmu led the Bulls with 23 points and fueled the rally, scoring seven straight to trim a 10-point deficit to three with 2:05 left. After Powell answered with a layup, Nikola Vucevic connected on a turnaround hook to make it 112-109 with 54 seconds remaining.
Dosunmu and Powell each knocked down two free throws before Coby White, fouled by Pelle Larsson, calmly hit both from the line to cut the margin to one with seven seconds to play. Larsson responded with a dunk two seconds later to restore a three-point cushion, and White’s last-second 3-pointer missed, sealing the win for Miami.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Heat, while Larsson finished with 15 points.
For Chicago, Vucevic recorded 15 points and 10 rebounds, Matas Buzelis scored 16, Kevin Huerter had 15 and White finished with 14.
Up next:
The teams will meet again Saturday night in Miami in the second of three consecutive matchups.
