Relying on late-game heroics is “not sustainable basketball,” Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan finds.
While his players agree, they’ve decided to excel at this style anyway.
The Bulls return home Friday to face the Miami Heat in NBA Cup play still beaming over Wednesday’s buzzer-beater in Portland. Nikola Vucevic drilled a 3-pointer to secure a 122-121 win, rescuing the Bulls after they squandered a 21-point fourth-quarter lead.
Chicago improved to 6-4 in “clutch” games — when the score difference is within five points in the fourth quarter or overtime. Creating distance from those situations when possible, however, remains the goal.
“We can’t always sit here and talk about resilience,” Vucevic said. “At some point, we have to beat a team that once we do get up 10, 15, even … 20, like (Wednesday), we stay with our foot on the gas and finish the game off.”
Chicago and Miami are 1-1 in East Group C of the NBA Cup. Milwaukee leads the group at 2-0.
The Bulls have dominated the recent series with the Heat, going 8-2 in the regular season. Coby White, who dished the assist on Vucevic’s big trey in Portland after driving into the lane and drawing defenders, has scored 20-plus points in five of his past six regular-season games versus Miami.
Vucevic has posted four straight double-doubles against the Heat in the regular season. That’s no surprise to White.
“He’s our connector. He’s our leader. He makes big-time plays,” White said. “He’s super important to what we do. We rely on him. He has a high IQ and good feel for the game. He’s so dangerous. He can roll. He can pop. He’s a really, really good basketball player.”
Friday marks the beginning of a brief, two-game road trip for the Heat, who are in the middle of playing 10 of 13 at home.
Miami has lost four of its last five away from Kaseya Center, but in the past two defeats was either without star center Bam Adebayo or he played limited minutes. Adebayo sustained a left toe strain during the first quarter of the Heat’s Nov. 5 loss at Denver before returning to the lineup for Wednesday’s 110-96 home win against Golden State.
He contributed 20 points and seven rebounds in 29 minutes.
“I felt good,” Adebayo said. “Just trying to find a rhythm, let the game come to me. And it did at some point.”
After his career-best streak of 19 games with a 3-pointer ended in Denver, Adebayo shot 3-for-4 from deep Wednesday.
“We definitely missed him and glad to have him back,” said the Heat’s Norman Powell, who led the team with 25 points and has scored at least that many in four of the past five games.
Heat guard Nikola Jovic missed Wednesday’s game with a right hip impingement he felt while attempting to work out earlier in the day and has been ruled out for Friday’s game.
Chicago swept Miami 3-0 last season, winning each game by nine points or less.
