Miami reserve Jaime Jaquez Jr. capped a standout performance with a key assist and a rebound, helping the Heat escape with a 116-113 win over the host Chicago Bulls on Thursday.
Jaquez finished with 19 points and closed out a double-double with his 10th rebound in the closing seconds, as Chicago’s Coby White missed a would-be game-tying 3-point attempt.
White’s final shot nearly capped a Bulls rally from down by as many as 13 points in the fourth quarter. Chicago trailed by 10 with less than four minutes remaining.
Chicago went on a 13-4 run, pulling within a point after a pair of White free throws with 7.1 seconds left. Miami gave itself a much-needed cushion on the ensuing possession as Jaquez found Pelle Larsson for a dunk to extend the gap to three points with 4.6 seconds to go.
The assist was Jaquez’s team-high sixth, and Larsson’s slam capped a 15-point performance. Jaquez and Larsson were among seven Miami players who scored in double figures.
Norman Powell put up 21 points as the Heat won for the third time in four games. Bam Adebayo added 20 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, and Andrew Wiggins finished with 10.
Kel’el Ware and Dru Smith and joined Jaquez notching double figures off the bench with 12 and 11 points, respectively. Ware also blocked two shots, contributing to Miami limiting Chicago to 39.4% shooting from the floor.
The Bulls’ offensive woes included White shooting just 2-of-11 from the floor, with much of his 14 points coming on 8-of-10 production at the foul line. Ayo Dosunmu led all scorers with 23 points off the Chicago bench, while fellow Bulls reserve Kevin Huerter added 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Nikola Vucevic posted 15 points and 10 rebounds in the loss, Chicago’s third in a row.
Thursday marked the beginning of a three-game set between Chicago and Miami, with the Heat hosting the next two over the weekend. This unusual stretch of games is the result of a Jan. 8 postponement when the scheduled matchup in Chicago wasn’t played due to condensation on the court.
