Miami, FL (Sports Network) - Dwyane Wade connected on 8-of-10 free throws on his way to 25 points, as the Miami Heat edged the Chicago Bulls, 95-87, at American Airlines Arena.
Wade Reaches 10,000 Point Milestone In Win
Wade now has 10,005 points in his career. He is the first Heat player to reach the 10,000 points scored mark. Wade is the 295th player in NBA history to reach the plateau.
Udonis Haslem added 19 points and 11 rebounds off the bench for the Heat, who are 3-0 to start the season for the first time since winning their first four games of the 2004-05 campaign. Mario Chalmers had 11 points, while Michael Beasley chipped in 10 points and 11 boards for the victors.
“It’s important for us to start off good. It shows that we are ready. We just have to keep it going and keep it up,” Chalmers said.
Luol Deng tallied 26 points and eight rebounds for the Bulls, who lost to Boston on Friday. John Salmons ended with 17 points. Brad Miller added 11 points off the bench, while Joakim Noah finished with 10 points and seven boards in defeat.
“We just didn’t make plays down the stretch. They made some plays and hit some shots,” Salmons said.
A Salmons trey put the Bulls ahead 83-82 with under four minutes remaining in the fourth. However, the Heat responded with seven consecutive points to build a six-point margin. Wade and Haslem each hit a jumper before Quentin Richardson capped the flurry with three-pointer with 1:41 to play.
A pair of free throws from Deng and Noah cut the deficit to two with over one minute left. But Miami went on to score the final six points of the contest to seal the victory.
The Bulls, who never trailed in the first quarter, held a slim 27-24 edge after 12 minutes of play.
Trailing 38-34, the Heat went on a 10-1 run to take their first lead in the contest. Beasley’s alley-oop jam off a Wade pass capped the spurt and gave Miami a 44-39 edge with 2:39 left until half. The Heat held a 49-48 margin at the break.
The teams battled back-and-forth in the third and fourth frames, setting up the exciting finish.
The Heat shot 48.6 percent from the field, while the Bulls made 40.9 percent of their shots...Miami went 21-of-25 from the foul line, while Chicago made 13-of-17 from the charity stripe...Miami went 3-1 against the Bulls in 2008-09. Chicago has lost four straight, five of six and 16 of its last 19 at Miami.
-- Via Sports Network
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