Heat hope to restore confidence against struggling Bulls
An off night from the floor cost the Miami Heat a shot at competitiveness on Tuesday.
As the Heat continue a four-game road trip with Thursday night's visit to the slumping Chicago Bulls, Miami hopes the struggles haven't affected the team's mental game.
"I feel like for us, we've just got to really concentrate on making it," Heat forward Bam Adebayo said. "I feel like we got to this weird time in the season where it just feels like shots aren't falling."
Miami slumped to 35.7% shooting from the field during a 122-94 loss at Minnesota on Tuesday. While the Heat shot 46.5% in a home victory against New Orleans two nights earlier and 47.1% in a home loss to Minnesota on Saturday, there might be something to Adebayo's premonition.
Tuesday marked the third time this season that opponents have held the Heat under 100 points, with each instance coming since Dec. 15.
Season scoring leader Norman Powell -- who is averaging 24.4 points per game -- sparked Miami with 21 points on Tuesday and was followed by fellow guard Tyler Herro's 17.
Herro said "it just felt good to be healthy" as he returned from a 13-game absence because of a right toe contusion. He came off the bench for the first time since April 2024, but coach Erik Spoelstra said it was "just a decision" as Miami works through other injuries.
No matter the rotation, Powell said, "We got to kind of get out of our own way and go out there and put on a brand of basketball that is about winning, about togetherness, about toughness and about a style of basketball every single night, no matter who's in the lineup."
Against Miami, Chicago will return home on a three-game skid that continued with Wednesday's 108-93 loss in Detroit.
The Bulls played the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons tight for the first three quarters before getting outscored 32-16 in the fourth.
"I thought in that fourth, they started to play through us physically and started to come up with some rebounds," Chicago coach Billy Donovan said, "and we just had a hard time at points in time with their size ... some of the defensive stuff around the basket."
Ayo Dosunmu led the Bulls with 24 points, while Matas Buzelis and Nikola Vucevic chipped in 20 apiece. Vucevic grabbed 16 rebounds.
Buzelis has scored at least 20 points in three of his four games in January, showing confidence while "doing a good job of taking what's there immediately," Donovan said.
Coby White, who missed the game for the Bulls due to right calf injury management, likely will play against the Heat, Donovan said.
Miami can secure a split of the four-game season series with Chicago with a victory Thursday. The visiting Heat thumped the Bulls 143-107 on Nov. 21 behind 20 points and 14 rebounds from Kel'el Ware.
Ware has multiple offensive rebounds in a career-best 18 straight games.
White has scored at least 20 points in five of his last six outings against the Heat, while Vucevic has a double-double in four of his last five games vs. them.