The NBA regular season begins at 8:30 a.m. Beijing time on December 15, and the matchup of the day is that of the Heat and the Bulls. Since the beginning of this season, the Heat have been injured, Herro has been unable to play due to an ankle problem, and Bam Adebayo and Highsmith have also been sidelined. The Heat, who lost two offensive points, Herro and Bam Adebayo, have been greatly affected on both offensive and defensive ends. While the last two games have been against the Hornets, the maximum margin of the Heat's two games is just two points. As a result, the Heat could be in a tough position against the Bulls, who are doing relatively well. In the absence of LaVine, the Bulls have been playing better than they did at the beginning of the season. Young player White quickly became the Bulls' second-leading scorer, averaging 167 points, 36 rebounds and 45 assists.
Head coach Donovan praised White's performance, saying he has been playing with a lot of confidence lately, actively seeking a balance between offense and playmaking, while also shooting from the outside of the field with great accuracy. Although the Bulls are in 12th place in the East, they have a 9-16 record. But in their last two games, they have lost to championship favourites Bucks and Nuggets, respectively, with a margin of just four and eight points. Therefore, against the Heat, which also lacks key players, the Bulls still have a certain ability to compete. In this game, the Heat's starting lineup is made up of Butler, Lowry, Martin, Dunroe and Robinson. The Bulls' starting lineup is DeRozan, White, Vucevic, Caruso and Williams. At the start of the first quarter, the Bulls' outside shooting was very accurate, with Caruso, White, Vucevic and Williams, as well as DeRozan, hitting eight three-pointers in quick succession while launching a 33-8 offensive wave.
While the Heat's perimeter players were only Able to respond with Hampton and Dunroe, Harkes struggled to take on some offensive duties. Still, in the final three minutes, the Heat's bench players, led by Hakes, played a wave of 12-1 counterattacks to close the gap. When Thomas Bryant scored on an air-cut dunk, the first quarter ended with the Heat trailing the Bulls by 14 points, 22-36. Entering the second quarter, the Bulls' Drummond completed the breakthrough and scored a dunk, while Craig caused Halkes' 2+1, and the two combined to score 11 points in the opening game. White also hit a three-pointer from the outside, and a 12-2 run extended the margin to 24 points. White's shooting touch is still good. The Heat stepped up at a critical moment, hitting two consecutive three-pointers from the outside, contributing 9 points alone, and sounding the clarion call for the team to fight back.
Harkes and Dunroe were also outstanding from the outside, while Martin scored seven points on consecutive mid-range shots. The Heat launched a 22-5 comeback to close the gap. However, the Bulls' Dosunmu hit a crucial three-pointer late in the game, and DeRozan relied on free throws to secure the advantage. At halftime, the Heat led the Bulls by four points, 56-60. Halftime stats show Lowry didn't play much, but he made three of six shots and contributed nine points, two rebounds and one assist. Butler made three of seven shots and finished with nine points, three rebounds and three assists. Martin made three of five shots and contributed seven points, five rebounds and two assists. Dunroe played a short period of time, but he contributed six points and three assists. Hawks made four of six shots and finished with 14 points, two rebounds and one assist. Love contributed three points, four rebounds and two assists in the first half.
For the Bulls, DeRozan played a long game, hitting 4 of 7 shots and finishing with 13 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. White made four of nine shots and contributed 12 points, three rebounds and seven assists. Vucevic had seven points, five rebounds and three assists. Caruso had six points and one assist. Dosunmu contributed eight points, three rebounds and one assist. Craig had five points and two rebounds. In the second half, the two sides kept the two sides locked until two minutes remained, when the Bulls' Vucevic scored a layup and then hit a hook basket. DeRozan also made a layup under the basket to lead the team to overtake the score. The Heat's Dunroe hit a well-timed three-pointer, while Butler and Martin scored on a breakaway. However, the Bulls' Vucevic drew a foul under the basket and scored six straight points to extend the lead to nine points in less than half a quarter.
Late in the game, the Bulls' Dosunmu hit two key three-pointers in a row to put the game out of suspense. In the end, the Heat lost 116-124 to the Bulls. Full-game stats show that Butler played a long game, hitting 6 of 14 shots and contributing 20 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists. Robinson contributed nine points, two rebounds and three assists. Martin played a long game, hitting 7 of 13 shots and finishing with 17 points, 12 rebounds and four assists. Lowry contributed 12 points, two rebounds and two assists. Hardes made 6 of 13 shots and finished with 22 points, four rebounds and three assists. Love contributed 14 points, seven rebounds and three assists. For the Bulls, White was outstanding, scoring 26 points on 9-of-20 shooting, along with seven rebounds and 11 assists.
Equally outstanding was Vucevic who contributed 24 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists. DeRozan, on the other hand, scored 23 points on 6-of-14 shots, along with five rebounds and four assists. Dosunmu also had a great performance, finishing with 24 points, eight rebounds and five assists.