Max Strus and Jimmy Butler Lift Miami Heat Past Chicago Bulls for No. 8 Seed

• The Miami Heat defeated the Chicago Bulls in their Play-In game on Friday
• The Heat clinched the eighth seed in the East with the victory
• Max Strus and Jimmy Butler combined for 62 points in the elimination game

The Miami Heat are moving on to the 2023 NBA Playoffs.

They earned the Eastern Conference’s No. 8 seed with a 102-91 win over the Chicago Bulls in the Play-In on Friday night.

Max Strus and Jimmy Butler starred for the Heat, who will next face the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round.

Strus and Butler steal show 

Strus and Butler powered Miami’s comeback win, combining for 62 points. Butler gave the Heat the lead for good with 2:17 remaining, scoring a layup while getting fouled, per ESPN.

Joel Embiid bolsters MVP case, scores 52 in Sixers’ win against Celtics

NBA

Strus sealed the win for the Heat, knocking down a 3-pointer with 1:14 remaining. He also sank three free throws after getting fouled attempting a corner three with 40.1 seconds left, putting the outcome beyond doubt.

Butler finished the game with 31 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Strus matched his teammate’s production, also scoring 31 points on 8 of 16 shooting from the field. He was red-hot from beyond the arc, knocking down seven of his 12 3-point attempts.

Miami needed strong finishing kick

The win did not come easy for the Heat, who trailed by five points with 5:30 left in the fourth quarter.

They finished the game strong, though, unleashing a 22-6 run to knock out the Bulls.

DeMar DeRozan had a solid outing for Chicago, scoring 26 points and dishing out nine assists. Alex Caruso and Coby White also contributed, dropping 16 and 14 points, respectively.

Milwaukee Bucks clinch top seed in East with win over Chicago Bulls

NBA

Unfortunately for the Bulls, Zach LaVine couldn’t get his game going against Miami. He scored just 15 points after exploding for 39 in Chicago’s last win against Toronto.

He struggled mightily, making just six of his 21 field goal attempts against the Heat. LaVine went 0 for 6 from 3-point land.

Bulls eliminated Raptors in Play-In 

Sports Brief recently reported on the Bulls’ win over the Raptors.

LaVine scored 30 points in the second half to lead Chicago to a 109-105 win.

The Bulls rallied from 19 points down to record the victory.