Afternoon Box Score: Bulls Sweep Heat

By Chuck Sudo in News on Mar 6, 2011 8:45PM

The Bulls may have been among the also-rans in the hunt for LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh during the offseason. But the money they saved in not signing any of them has proven to be put to good use in building an overall deeper team that now sits in sole possession of second place in the Eastern Conference after their 87-86 win over the Heat in Miami. The Bulls 3-0 head-to-head record against the Heat is also their first regular season sweep against Miami since the 1991-92 season.

The Bulls defense once again was the primary reason for the win. Trailing 49-40 (41 of those points scored by Miami's Big Three), the second half became a defensive struggle as the Bulls held the Heat to 37 points after the break. Derrick rose led the Bulls with 27 points, while Luol Deng's made 3 of four free throws to clinch the game. James led Miami with 26 points, followed by Bosh's 23 and Wade's 20. With the teams both at full strength for the first time this season, the Heat once again showed that even good efforts from their stars may not be enough against the best teams in the league. Miami is now 1-6 against the Bulls and Boston Celtics this season.