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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
CHICAGO (AP) -- The Chicago Bulls are on another streak. A
winning one, this time.
|  | | Pat Riley said 'quiet desperation' helped the Bulls beat his Heat on Saturday. |
Ron Artest made a huge 21-footer with 1:58 left, the Bulls got
tough on defense and Khalid El-Amin made five free throws in the
closing seconds Saturday night to seal an 89-82 victory over the
Miami Heat.
Chicago has followed its franchise-record 16-game losing streak
with two wins in a row. It's the Bulls' first winning streak since
Feb. 17-19, 2000.
"Everybody's just tired of losing," said Ron Mercer, who led
the Bulls with 27 points. "It feels a lot better, but we can't be
satisfied with two wins."
Especially not when they almost gave the second one away.
Chicago led by as many as 27 points -- a season high -- in the
first half, as the Heat had one of their worst first halves ever.
They made just three field goals in the second quarter --
including Dan Majerle's 3-point heave at the buzzer -- and shot a
season-low 24 percent.
"It's a combination of fatigue and their quiet desperation,"
said Miami coach Pat Riley, whose team has gone to overtime four
times in the last seven games.
"They got us back on our heels. We weren't ready for what they
had."
But Miami looked like a different team in the third quarter,
making up almost the entire 24-point halftime deficit. Tim
Hardaway's 18-foot jumper with 19 seconds left in the third cut the
lead to 64-61.
Chicago looked like a different team, too. After shooting 62
percent in the first half, the Bulls made only two field goals and
shot a horrible 12 percent in the quarter.
"We knew they were going to come out with aggressiveness and
they did," Bulls coach Tim Floyd said. "They forced a lot of
turnovers. We did not get quality shots. That had more to do with
them than with us."
Bruce Bowen's 3-pointer got Miami within 78-77 with 3:37 left in
the game. But the Heat had never rallied from more than 20 down,
and they weren't going to change that stat Saturday night.
"We were up, what, three points with three minutes to go? We
were confident," said Elton Brand, who had 17 points and 11
rebounds. "We knew we were going to win it."
Mercer scored on a layup, and Artest followed with the 21-footer
with 1:58 left to give Chicago an 82-77 lead. Then Chicago's
defense kicked in. Grant tried three times for a layup, each time
getting rejected by Brand.
The Bulls got the ball and Artest missed on the other end, but
Marcus Fizer grabbed the rebound and El-Amin was fouled. He made
both shots, giving Chicago an 84-79 lead with 22 seconds left.
After a dunk by Eddie Jones, Artest responded with a dunk of his
own and El-Amin made three more free throws in the final 15
seconds.
"Even though our record says differently, we have to look at
ourselves as a winning team," Brand said.
Artest finished with 16 points and El-Amin had 11. Marcus Fizer
added 11 rebounds.
Grant led five Miami players in double figures with 20 points.
He also had 10 rebounds for the Heat, who were outrebounded 48-37.
Jones and Tim Hardaway each had 14.
"We went up to Toronto, played hard, got a tough overtime win
and come down here and this team's record is (8)-and-whatever?"
Hardaway said. "Whatever. It doesn't matter a hill of beans right
now."
The Heat would have had a better chance if they hadn't looked so
pathetic in the first half. They tied the game at 17 on Hardaway's
putback jumper with 3:12 left in the first quarter. But Miami
sputtered from there, going the next 6:31 without a field goal.
The Bulls, meanwhile, were on a roll. Brad Miller's jumper
sparked a 12-0 run that gave Chicago a 29-17 lead with 10:45 left
in the half. When Mercer fed Artest for the thundering alley-oop,
it gave Chicago a 55-28 lead -- its largest of the entire season.
"I am real proud of our guys," Floyd said. "They went through
an awful stretch and they were just hanging in. I think it's
obvious they're recharged and refreshed mentally."
Game notes
Mercer
made his first five shots, not missing until 9:46 left in the
second quarter. ... Floyd got a technical with 3:48 left in the
third. ... Michael Jordan turned 38 on Saturday. "He's 38?" Riley
asked in surprise. "He was absolutely special. Now that I don't
have to face him, I can enjoy the (butt)-kickings he used to give
me." ... Floyd said he didn't remind his players they hadn't won
back-to-back games in almost a year. "I think they're pretty
aware. Why would I bring up a negative when we've just dealt with
16 in a row?"
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NBA Scoreboard
Miami Clubhouse
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RECAPS
Chicago 89
Miami 82
Dallas 112
Washington 105
Houston 92
Cleveland 80
Charlotte 103
Milwaukee 93
Boston 85
Portland 81
Atlanta 101
Seattle 94
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