
Bulls Edge Heat 119-111, Giddey Shines as Chicago Closes in on Play-In Spot
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The Bulls had a golden opportunity on Wednesday to move past the Heat and improve their chances of securing a home game in the first round of the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament—and they seized it.
Josh Giddey delivered a stellar performance, recording his seventh triple-double of the season with 28 points, 16 rebounds, and 11 assists, leading the Bulls to a 119-111 victory over the Heat. With the win, the Bulls improved to 37-43, pulling ahead of Miami (36-44) into ninth place in the East. By sweeping the Heat in all three meetings this season, the Bulls now hold the head-to-head tiebreaker and can guarantee finishing above Miami by winning either of their final two regular-season games: Friday against the visiting Wizards or Sunday in their season finale on the road against the 76ers.
“We knew coming into the game the implications that a win or a loss had,” Giddey said after the game. “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.”
With his performance, Giddey became just the third player this season to reach 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, and 500 assists, joining LeBron James and Nikola Jokic. His seven triple-doubles this season are the most by any Bulls player since Michael Jordan’s 15 in 1988-89.
Despite Giddey's dominant effort, the Bulls held only a five-point lead with 43 seconds remaining when Tyler Herro intercepted a pass from Coby White. Herro had an open lane to the basket but instead chose to pull up for a three-pointer from 26 feet—and missed. Kevin Huerter grabbed the rebound and passed to rookie Matas Buzelis, who nailed a three-pointer to seal the victory.
“That was pretty [gutsy],” Huerter said of Herro’s shot attempt. “If he makes it, it looks great. Luckily for us, it missed.”
With the win, the Bulls moved closer to securing a home game in the Play-In Tournament. A finish in ninth place would ensure they play the Heat at home, avoiding a trip to Miami, where the Heat eliminated the Bulls in the play-in finale the past two years.
“It’s an advantage if you play well,” said Bulls coach Billy Donovan, reflecting on the importance of hosting a game. “It’s not an advantage if you don’t play well.”
The Bulls also moved to within a half-game of the eighth-place Hawks in the East. However, overtaking Atlanta will be difficult, as the Bulls trail by one game in the loss column and the Hawks hold the tiebreaker.
Despite the challenge, Donovan acknowledged that the team’s placement in the standings is less important than their overall performance. “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,” he 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 demonstrated they are capable of playing well at home, and should they finish ninth, they know they will likely face the Heat once again in the Play-In Tournament.
“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.”