Morning Box Score: Bulls Hang With Miami, Can't Douse Heat
By Chuck Sudo in News on Jan 30, 2012 2:30PM
This was the marquee game on yesterday's NBA slate and, except for the Bulls losing, it didn't disappoint. The highlight of the game was LeBron James leaping over John Lucas III for an alley opp dunk. James, who rode his bicycle to American Airlines Arena, finished with a game high 35 points and added 11 rebounds, while Chris Bosh also notched a double double with 24 points and 10 rebounds and Dwyane Wade added 15 points and seven assists.
The Bulls stayed close throughout the game and had a chance to force overtime, but Derrick Rose (34 points) missed two free throws with seconds left and another chance to tie after that. Before those two fateful misses, Rose was 12-for-12 at the charity stripe. All five Bulls starters scored in double figures, but one wonders if the injured Luol Deng could have made the difference between a win and a loss. After the game, Rose took sole responsibility for the loss. The team was also talking about an inadvertent whistle that led to a jump ball. Miami gained possession and the Bulls had to foul Mario Chalmers, who made one free throw to give the Heat the lead for good.