By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh
Miami Heat’s Tyler Herro couldn’t miss as he led the Heat with 38 points in a dominant 109-90 victory over the Chicago Bulls.
The Heat’s Big Three were outstanding in The Windy City. Andrew Wiggins added 20 points, Bam Adebayo recorded a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds, and the Heat made 14 three-pointers.
It’s the third consecutive year the Heat and Bulls play against each other in the Play-In Tournament. It’s a rivalry that continues to this day, starting back during the Heat’s Big Three era of the early 2010s.
Herro played like a valid No. 1 option and showed great leadership as a point guard. He had many good looks, seemed comfortable with every shot he took, and avoided doing too much.
“I thought every shot I took was a good look,” Herro told the media. “I knocked it down, my teammates, my coaches getting me to my spots. We’re just sharing the ball, flying around, making plays for each other.”
Davian Mitchell led the bench with 15 points, including going perfect from the field (5-for-5) with nine assists, one block, and one steal in 33 minutes. Mitchell was a key figure in the Heat’s defense.
“We came into the game knowing that the two main guys are going to try to drive the paint,” Mitchell said after the game. “The biggest thing is that we switch, we help one another. They didn’t see the openings like they used to see. We did a good job. We played them three times, and they’ve been doing the same thing. So we were ready coming into this game.”
The Heat studied the Bulls and how explosive their offense can be. It was a collective team effort on defense. The Heat’s defense set the tone from the beginning and didn’t let the Bulls get comfortable. The Bulls scored less than 20 points in the second and fourth quarters.
The Heat had one of the best first halves of the season. This group has had an up-and-down season, but they are coming together at the right time. Their next mission will be against the Atlanta Hawks on the road for the No. 8 spot on Friday at 7 p.m.
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com and themmmjournal@gmail.com
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