The Chicago Bulls was eliminated from post season play with a 112-91 loss to the Miami Heat on Friday, April 19, on the road.
The loss ended the Bulls 2023-24 NBA season where they finished 39-43 and 1-1 in the Play In Tournament. Forward DeMar DeRozan scored a team-high 22 points in Friday night’s game.
“These games, they’re going to be like that,” said Bulls coach Billy Donovan via the Associated Press. “It’s going to be ugly, grind-out. Could we have been better in those areas? Probably. I wouldn’t say we were perfect. I thought our guys were trying to compete.”
During the contest, the Bulls were outscored 34-17 in the first quarter and 35-23 in the second quarter but managed to outscore Miami 20-13 in the second quarter and 31-30 to close out the fourth quarter.
Honorable mention: The Bulls said center Nikola Vucevic totaled a team-high 10 rebounds in the first half and became the 9th player to record double-digit rebounds in any half in a Play-In game. Vucevic ranked 8th in the NBA in total rebounds (801) during the 2023-24 regular season (via @EliasSports).
Final Score: Chicago 91, Miami 112
The loss on Friday concludes the 2023-24 NBA season for Chicago. The team is looking forward to the off season and has hopes of improving last year’s roster.
Joseph Phillips is the Sports Editor for the Chicago Crusader Newspaper. He is a Chicago native, who has been a sports writer for over 17 years. He also hosts the SC Media News and Sports Network Q&A radio show on WHPK 88.5 FM Chicago.
