The Bulls had an opportunity Wednesday to move past the Heat and boost their chances to host a game in the first round of the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament.
They took advantage.
Josh Giddey had his seventh triple-double with 28 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists, and the Bulls beat the Heat 119-111. With the victory, the Bulls improved to 37-43, a game ahead of Miami (36-44) for ninth place in the East. Thanks to taking all three matchups from the Heat, the Bulls own the head-to-head tiebreaker and can clinch finishing above Miami by winning Friday against the visiting Wizards or Sunday on the road against the 76ers in the regular-season finale.
“We knew coming into the game the implications that a win or a loss had,” Giddey said. “Obviously, happy with the win, but we can’t look too far ahead. We’ve got two games to go. I don’t know how far we can move up or down or what the situation looks like, but we’re trying not to concern ourselves too much with it, playing one game at a time, and we’ll see where we end up after 82 games.”
Giddey became the third player this season to reach 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists, joining LeBron James and Nikola Jokic. Giddey’s seven triple-doubles are the most by any Bull in a season other than Michael Jordan’s 15 in 1988-89.
Despite Giddey’s efforts, the Bulls only led by five with 43 seconds left when Tyler Herro stole the ball from Coby White. Herro had an open path to an uncontested layup but pulled up from 26 feet and missed a three-pointer.
Kevin Huerter hustled to grab the rebound, and rookie Matas Buzelis made a three-pointer to seal the win.
“That was pretty [gutsy],” Huerter, who had 22 points, said of Herro’s shot. “If he makes it, it looks great. Luckily for us, it missed.”
Finishing ninth would guarantee a home game against the Heat in the play-in. And the Bulls know the importance of avoiding a trip to Miami because the Heat ended their season in the play-in finale the last two years, both times in Florida.
“It’s an advantage if you play well,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said of being at home. “It’s not an advantage if you don’t play well.”
The Bulls also closed to a half-game of the Hawks for eighth in the East. Overtaking Atlanta, however, will be difficult; the Bulls are a game behind in the loss column, and the Hawks own the tiebreaker.
Regardless, Donovan knows the Bulls won’t get an easy draw wherever they land in the East standings.
“You want to be able to play at home, but at the same point, too, if that does happen, you’ve got to play well against a good team, whoever it may be, because we’re all bunched up,” Donovan said. “Probably the next couple of games will shake out how this will all pan out, but you always want to have a home game. In having a home game, you’re going to have to play well at home.”
The Bulls have shown they can do that. And if they finish ninth, they know whom they’ll have to deal with in the play-in.
“[The confidence] is high,” Huerter said. “We’re playing good basketball, but we’re most likely probably going to see this team right back here in a week. We’ve got to take care of business the last two, see if we can get some help and Atlanta can lose a game for us.
“If not, we’ll be ready to play [Miami] again.”
