The Chicago Bulls took a big step towards getting home court in the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament with a 119-111 win over the Miami Heat on Wednesday. Josh Giddey was brilliant and clutch down the stretch and the Bulls are now 37-43, one game ahead of the Heat (36-44) for 9th in the East.
Josh Giddey with his 7th Triple-Double
Josh Giddey had another monster game, his 7th triple-double of the season with 28 points, 16 rebounds, 11 assists. He was the engine that drove the Bulls to the win and also made some history.
Giddey is the 3rd player this season to reach 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 500 assists. With 7 triple-doubles, he’s now 2nd behind Michael Jordan who had 15 in the 1988-89 season for the most by a Bull in a season.
“We knew going into the game what was at stake with a win or loss,” Giddey said after the game. “We’re happy with the win but we can’t look too far ahead. We’ve got 2 games left. We’re taking it one game at a time.”
Clutch Moments Win It
Giddey’s heroics weren’t enough to win the game on their own. With the Bulls up 5 and 43 seconds left, Tyler Herro stole the ball from Coby White and had an open layup. Instead of laying it in, Herro pulled up for a 26 foot three. Missed.
Kevin Huerter grabbed the rebound and Matas Buzelis sealed the deal with a dagger three on the other end.
“That was pretty gutsy,” Huerter said of Herro’s shot. “If he makes it, it’s great. Luckily for us he missed.”
Huerter himself had a big night with 22 points and his hustle plays were huge in the win.
Play-In Implications: Home-Court Advantage in Reach
The win gives the Bulls a big edge in the ninth place race as they now own the head to head tiebreaker over the Heat since they won all three games this season. To clinch ninth and get a home game in the play-in the Bulls need to win either Friday vs the Wizards or Sunday vs the 76ers.
Finishing ninth means hosting the Heat in the play-in—a game the Bulls want to get. Over the last two seasons the Heat have ended the Bulls season in Miami so home court is even more important.
“It’s an advantage if you play well,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. “But if you don’t play well it doesn’t matter where you are.”
The Play’s the Word
We’re 2 games in and I’m feeling nostalgic.
Parish is still in the hunt for 8th place. We’re a half game behind Atlanta and they own the tiebreaker. Overtaking Atlanta won’t be easy; we’re a game behind in the loss column and they have the tiebreaker.
Regardless of where we land, Donovan said you want to play well in the playoffs.
“You want to play at home but at the same time you’ve got to play well against a good team,” Donovan said. “We’re all bunched up. You’ve got to take care of business.”
Feeling Good as We Head into the Play-In
With momentum on our side we’re feeling good going into the final 2 games of the season. Kevin Huerter said he’s optimistic about our chances especially since we’ll most likely see them again in a week. He’s been a good team for us.
“The confidence is high,” Huerter said. “We’re playing good basketball but we’re most likely going to see this team right back here in a week. We’ve got to take care of business the last 2 games, see if we can get some help and Atlanta can lose a game for us. If not we’ll be ready to play Miami again.”