LeBron James may be the reigning MVP, but Joakim Noah was playing like one in the Chicago Bulls' 95-88 victory against the Miami Heat. The Bulls big man scored 20 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, tallied seven assists and blocked five shots on Sunday, all of which was needed in a gritty overtime win in Chicago.
Heat vs. Bulls final score: Joakim Noah pushes Chicago to 95-88 overtime win
Riding the emotion of Joakim Noah, the Chicago Bulls limited LeBron James and dropped the Miami Heat in overtime.
Jonathan Daniel
Miami led 74-62 with 10 minutes to play, but Chicago ran off 13 straight points over the next four minutes to take a one-point lead. With just more than two minutes to play, Noah tied the game at 82 with a shot attempt that seemingly couldn't have beaten the shot clock -- a review by the officials upheld the made shot -- then ripped a driving James to find Taj Gibson for a transition dunk.
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James wasn't his typical efficient self. He went 8-for-23 from the floor to finish with 17 points, eight assists and nine rebounds. Dwyane Wade led Miami with 25 points to go with four assists, but the Heat duo was outdone by Noah and guard Jimmy Butler, whose 16-point, 11-rebound effort included several crucial defensive possessions against James that helped Chicago seal the game.
And that's without mentioning D.J. Augustin, who continued contributing a great deal on the offensive end. The Bulls guard finished with 22 points.
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