Tyler Herro and the Miami Heat came out firing and never looked back. With a dominant performance, they rolled past the Chicago Bulls 109-90 on Wednesday night in the NBA Play-In Tournament, keeping their postseason hopes alive.
Herro exploded for 38 points, including 23 in the first half, helping Miami jump out to a commanding 71-47 halftime lead. It was the third straight year the Heat have knocked Chicago out of the play-in. Now, Miami will head to Atlanta on Friday for a matchup with the Hawks. A win there would send them into the playoffs as the eighth seed, facing top-seeded Cleveland in the first round. The Hawks lost their previous game to Orlando on Tuesday.
“We’re only halfway there,” said Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra. “This wasn’t going to happen overnight. The guys have been building something over the past several weeks.”
It’s been a bumpy road for Miami this season. Tension with Jimmy Butler ended in a trade to Golden State at the deadline, and a 10-game skid in March nearly derailed their season. But the Heat bounced back, winning eight of their final 12 games to finish 10th in the East with a 37-45 record.
Against the Bulls, Herro couldn’t miss early, sinking his first eight shots and finishing 13-of-19 from the field. He got plenty of help too. Andrew Wiggins scored 20 points and pulled down nine rebounds, while Bam Adebayo chipped in with 15 points and 12 boards. Davion Mitchell added 15 points and nine assists. Miami’s defense also came up big with 10 steals and seven blocks, turning the tables after getting swept by Chicago in the regular season.
Josh Giddey led the Bulls with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Coby White scored 17 but struggled with his shot, going just 5-for-20. Nikola Vucevic finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds.
“We didn’t stick to the game plan,” White admitted. “We beat them in the regular season, and maybe we thought that would be enough. But they’ve got players with Finals experience, they’ve got one of the best coaches in the league, and they came out ready.”
Chicago made a brief push in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 13, but Miami quickly shut the door to end the Bulls’ playoff hopes for the third consecutive year.
“A lot of us hit big shots when it mattered,” said Adebayo.
Herro set the tone early, and while he led the scoring charge, Miami had a full team effort. Wiggins dropped 12 in the first half, while Adebayo added 11 points and seven boards before the break, helping the Heat seize control early and never let it go.
