Butler wins it at the buzzer for Miami, as Heat top Bulls 118-116
MIAMI (AP) Kyle Lowry called the play. Kevin Love set the screen. Jimmy Butler took the shot.
It all worked perfectly for the Miami Heat.
Butler scored 28 points - the last of them on a step-back jumper as time expired - to give the Heat a 118-116 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night.
“Anybody can make that shot,” Butler said. “All in all, it's really dope to win because wins are super-hard to come by in this league.”
Love added 22 points for Miami, while Jaime Jaquez Jr. had 18, Caleb Martin 17 and Lowry finished with 10 points and seven assists.
DeMar DeRozan led Chicago with 27 points. Patrick Williams scored 25 points, Coby White added 22, Torrey Craig had 16 and Nikola Vucevic finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Vucevic missed what would have been a go-ahead shot with 15 seconds left. Butler grabbed the rebound and Lowry whispered something to him, then waved his arms to get Butler and Love where he wanted them. The Heat had two time-outs; coach Erik Spoelstra didn't even think about calling one.
“That's the no-brainer of no-brainers,” Spoelstra said.
Butler came up the left side of the floor, then went to the right with Love and Lowry setting screens to help get the matchup he wanted. Butler then headed toward the lane and coolly hit the step-back over White as time expired.
“He obviously got to his spot,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said. “I think we can certainly learn something from that.”
Miami again played without Bam Adebayo (hip) and Tyler Herro (ankle). They went through a workout a couple hours before the game and are likely to return in the coming week, possibly as early as Monday.
Craig was ruled out at halftime with an injured right heel, and the Bulls were again without Alex Caruso - who aggravated a left ankle issue when got stepped on by teammate Nikola Vucevic in the opening minutes of Chicago's victory at Miami on Thursday night.
“Hopefully, a few days clears it up,” Donovan said about Caruso. “But we don’t anticipate him missing any major time.”
The teams combined for 21 3-pointers in the first half, the seventh-most in a game so far this season. Chicago made 11, Miami 10 - and Love started 5 for 5. His fifth 3-pointer put the Heat up 39-24 just 13 seconds into the second quarter, before Chicago outscored Miami 33-19 over the rest of that period and went into the half down just 58-57.
The Bulls led by as many as seven in the third, before Miami finished with a big run to go up 91-80 headed into the fourth. Chicago rallied again, taking the lead three separate times in the fourth on scores by White and DeRozan - but Butler had the last word.
“Best closer in the game,” Love said.
UP NEXT
Bulls: At Philadelphia on Monday night.
Heat: Host Minnesota on Monday night.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Nikola Vucevic vs. Orlando Robinson (Coby White gains possession) | ||
| 11:47 |  | Nikola Vucevic misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:43 | | Ayo Dosunmu offensive rebound | ||
| 11:41 | | Coby White misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:41 | | Kyle Lowry defensive rebound | ||
| 11:32 | | Jimmy Butler misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:31 | | Heat offensive rebound | ||
| 11:31 | | Patrick Williams personal foul (Loose ball) (Orlando Robinson draws the foul) | ||
| 11:17 | | +2 | Jimmy Butler makes two point layup | 0-2 |
| 11:07 | | +3 | Ayo Dosunmu makes three point pullup jump shot | 3-2 |
| 10:51 | | Patrick Williams kicked ball violation | ||
| 10:38 | | Orlando Robinson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:35 | | Coby White defensive rebound | ||
| 10:28 | | Patrick Williams offensive foul (Kyle Lowry draws the foul) | ||
| 10:28 | | Patrick Williams turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 10:11 | | Coby White shooting foul (Jimmy Butler draws the foul) | ||
| 10:11 | | +1 | Jimmy Butler makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 3-3 |
| 10:11 | | +1 | Jimmy Butler makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 3-4 |
| 9:56 | | Torrey Craig misses two point layup | ||
| 9:56 | | Heat defensive rebound | ||
| 9:42 | | +3 | Duncan Robinson makes three point jump shot (Kyle Lowry assists) | 3-7 |
| 9:26 | | Torrey Craig misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:25 | | Bulls offensive rebound | ||
| 9:20 | | Nikola Vucevic turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 9:10 | | +2 | Jimmy Butler makes two point cutting dunk (Caleb Martin assists) | 3-9 |
| 8:45 | | Coby White turnover (bad pass) (Jimmy Butler steals) | ||
| 8:38 | | +2 | Jimmy Butler makes two point cutting dunk (Duncan Robinson assists) | 3-11 |
| 8:38 | | Bulls 60 second timeout | ||
| 8:22 | | Orlando Robinson shooting foul (Torrey Craig draws the foul) | ||
| 8:22 | | +1 | Torrey Craig makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 4-11 |
| 8:22 | | Torrey Craig misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 8:19 | | Duncan Robinson defensive rebound | ||
| 7:59 | | +2 | Orlando Robinson makes two point cutting finger roll layup (Duncan Robinson assists) | 4-13 |
| 7:38 | | +3 | Torrey Craig makes three point jump shot (DeMar DeRozan assists) | 7-13 |
| 7:31 | | Duncan Robinson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:27 | | Nikola Vucevic defensive rebound | ||
| 7:07 | | Ayo Dosunmu misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 7:06 | | Bulls offensive rebound | ||
| 7:06 | | Bulls turnover (shot clock violation) | ||
| 6:49 | | Orlando Robinson misses two point hook shot | ||
| 6:47 | | Nikola Vucevic defensive rebound | ||
| 6:29 | | +3 | Torrey Craig makes three point jump shot (DeMar DeRozan assists) | 10-13 |
| 6:15 | | Orlando Robinson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:11 | | Coby White defensive rebound | ||
| 6:06 | | Kyle Lowry personal foul (Ayo Dosunmu draws the foul) | ||
| 5:58 | | Nikola Vucevic misses two point hook shot | ||
| 5:55 | | Kevin Love defensive rebound | ||
| 5:36 | | +2 | Caleb Martin makes two point driving finger roll layup | 10-15 |
| 5:36 | | Ayo Dosunmu shooting foul (Caleb Martin draws the foul) | ||
| 5:36 | | +1 | Caleb Martin makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 10-16 |
| 5:21 | | +2 | DeMar DeRozan makes two point floating jump shot | 12-16 |
| 5:21 | | Bulls delay of game violation | ||
| 5:06 | | +3 | Kevin Love makes three point jump shot (Kyle Lowry assists) | 12-19 |
| 4:49 | | Ayo Dosunmu misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:46 | | Torrey Craig offensive rebound | ||
| 4:38 | | Nikola Vucevic turnover (bad pass) (Jaime Jaquez Jr. steals) | ||
| 4:33 | | +2 | Jaime Jaquez Jr. makes two point running layup (Kyle Lowry assists) | 12-21 |
| 4:33 | | Bulls 60 second timeout | ||
| 4:15 | | Nikola Vucevic misses two point jump shot | ||
| 4:11 | | Torrey Craig offensive rebound | ||
| 4:01 | | Jevon Carter misses three point jump shot | ||
| 3:57 | | Kyle Lowry defensive rebound | ||
| 3:50 | | +3 | Kevin Love makes three point jump shot (Jaime Jaquez Jr. assists) | 12-24 |
| 3:36 | | +3 | Torrey Craig makes three point jump shot (Jevon Carter assists) | 15-24 |
| 3:14 | | +3 | Kevin Love makes three point jump shot (Jimmy Butler assists) | 15-27 |
| 2:49 | | +2 | Andre Drummond makes two point hook shot (Dalen Terry assists) | 17-27 |
| 2:27 | | Jevon Carter shooting foul (Jimmy Butler draws the foul) | ||
| 2:27 | | +1 | Jimmy Butler makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 17-28 |
| 2:27 | | +1 | Jimmy Butler makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 17-29 |
| 2:07 | | Ayo Dosunmu turnover (lost ball) (Jaime Jaquez Jr. steals) | ||
| 1:58 | | Jaime Jaquez Jr. misses two point driving layup | ||
| 1:58 | | Heat offensive rebound | ||
| 1:51 | | Jimmy Butler turnover (bad pass) (Dalen Terry steals) | ||
| 1:44 | | +2 | DeMar DeRozan makes two point running layup (Ayo Dosunmu assists) | 19-29 |
| 1:35 | | Bulls technical foul (Defensive three second) | ||
| 1:35 | | +1 | Jimmy Butler makes technical free throw 1 of 1 | 19-30 |
| 1:26 | | +3 | Kevin Love makes three point jump shot (Jimmy Butler assists) | 19-33 |
| 1:05 | | Josh Richardson shooting foul (Andre Drummond draws the foul) | ||
| 1:05 | | +1 | Andre Drummond makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 20-33 |
| 1:05 | | +1 | Andre Drummond makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 21-33 |
| 0:54 | | Jaime Jaquez Jr. misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 0:53 | | Bulls defensive rebound | ||
| 0:32 | | Haywood Highsmith shooting foul (DeMar DeRozan draws the foul) | ||
| 0:32 | | DeMar DeRozan misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 0:32 | | Bulls offensive rebound | ||
| 0:32 | | +1 | DeMar DeRozan makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 22-33 |
| 0:15 | | Jaime Jaquez Jr. turnover (lost ball) (Andre Drummond steals) | ||
| 0:12 | | +2 | Dalen Terry makes two point running dunk (Jevon Carter assists) | 24-33 |
| 0:03 | | +3 | Jaime Jaquez Jr. makes three point jump shot (Haywood Highsmith assists) | 24-36 |
| 0:00 | | Ayo Dosunmu misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:00 | | Bulls offensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:49 | | +3 | Kevin Love makes three point jump shot (Duncan Robinson assists) | 24-39 |
| 11:47 | | Bulls 60 second timeout | ||
| 11:24 | | +2 | DeMar DeRozan makes two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | 26-39 |
| 11:08 | | Duncan Robinson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:04 | | Patrick Williams defensive rebound | ||
| 10:58 | | +2 | Patrick Williams makes two point driving dunk | 28-39 |
| 10:48 | | Josh Richardson misses two point turnaround jump shot | ||
| 10:45 | | Ayo Dosunmu defensive rebound | ||
| 10:27 | | Andre Drummond misses two point hook shot | ||
| 10:25 | | Josh Richardson defensive rebound | ||
| 10:17 | | Kevin Love misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:13 | | Josh Richardson offensive rebound | ||
| 10:09 | | Duncan Robinson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:05 | | Andre Drummond defensive rebound | ||
| 9:57 | | Dalen Terry misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:57 | | Heat defensive rebound | ||
| 9:34 | | Thomas Bryant misses two point jump shot | ||
| 9:34 | | Coby White defensive rebound | ||
| 9:15 | | Patrick Williams misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:12 | | Jaime Jaquez Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 8:54 | | Jaime Jaquez Jr. misses two point layup | ||
| 8:51 | | Andre Drummond defensive rebound | ||
| 8:42 | | +3 | Patrick Williams makes three point jump shot (Coby White assists) | 31-39 |
| 8:30 | | +3 | Josh Richardson makes three point jump shot (Duncan Robinson assists) | 31-42 |
| 8:14 | | Thomas Bryant blocks Patrick Williams's two point driving layup | ||
| 8:14 | | Bulls offensive rebound | ||
| 8:06 | | +3 | DeMar DeRozan makes three point jump shot (Coby White assists) | 34-42 |
| 7:46 | | Duncan Robinson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:43 | | Haywood Highsmith offensive rebound | ||
| 7:41 | | Josh Richardson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:38 | | Andre Drummond defensive rebound | ||
| 7:31 | | +3 | Ayo Dosunmu makes three point jump shot (Patrick Williams assists) | 37-42 |
| 7:29 | | Heat 60 second timeout | ||
| 7:11 | | Jaime Jaquez Jr. turnover (bad pass) (Coby White steals) | ||
| 7:00 | | Nikola Vucevic misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:57 | | Jaime Jaquez Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 6:41 | | Haywood Highsmith misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:38 | | Coby White defensive rebound | ||
| 6:28 | | Thomas Bryant shooting foul (Nikola Vucevic draws the foul) | ||
| 6:28 | | Nikola Vucevic misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 6:28 | | Bulls offensive rebound | ||
| 6:28 | | +1 | Nikola Vucevic makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 38-42 |
| 6:10 | | +2 | Josh Richardson makes two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot (Kyle Lowry assists) | 38-44 |
| 5:58 | | +3 | Torrey Craig makes three point jump shot (Coby White assists) | 41-44 |
| 5:43 | | +3 | Josh Richardson makes three point jump shot (Kyle Lowry assists) | 41-47 |
| 5:37 | | Ayo Dosunmu misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:35 | | Bulls offensive rebound | ||
| 5:32 | | Caleb Martin personal foul (Loose ball) (Patrick Williams draws the foul) | ||
| 5:20 | | +2 | Patrick Williams makes two point pullup jump shot (Nikola Vucevic assists) | 43-47 |
| 5:01 | | Josh Richardson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:59 | | Patrick Williams defensive rebound | ||
| 4:48 | | Coby White misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 4:46 | | Thomas Bryant defensive rebound | ||
| 4:28 | | Jimmy Butler misses two point driving floating bank jump shot | ||
| 4:26 | | Ayo Dosunmu defensive rebound | ||
| 4:23 | | Coby White misses three point running pullup jump shot | ||
| 4:23 | | Thomas Bryant defensive rebound | ||
| 4:11 | | +2 | Thomas Bryant makes two point jump shot (Kyle Lowry assists) | 43-49 |
| 3:51 | | +2 | Torrey Craig makes two point driving layup (Nikola Vucevic assists) | 45-49 |
| 3:51 | | Thomas Bryant shooting foul (Torrey Craig draws the foul) | ||
| 3:51 | | +1 | Torrey Craig makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 46-49 |
| 3:29 | | +3 | Kyle Lowry makes three point stepback jump shot | 46-52 |
| 3:11 | | +3 | Patrick Williams makes three point jump shot (Nikola Vucevic assists) | 49-52 |
| 3:01 | | +2 | Caleb Martin makes two point stepback jump shot | 49-54 |
| 2:36 | | Nikola Vucevic misses two point turnaround hook shot | ||
| 2:33 | | Kevin Love defensive rebound | ||
| 2:30 | | +2 | Kyle Lowry makes two point running layup (Jaime Jaquez Jr. assists) | 49-56 |
| 2:12 | | +3 | Patrick Williams makes three point jump shot (Ayo Dosunmu assists) | 52-56 |
| 1:48 | | DeMar DeRozan blocks Caleb Martin's two point driving layup | ||
| 1:44 | | Nikola Vucevic defensive rebound | ||
| 1:42 | | Ayo Dosunmu misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:38 | | Nikola Vucevic offensive rebound | ||
| 1:37 | | DeMar DeRozan misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:33 | | Caleb Martin defensive rebound | ||
| 1:15 | | Ayo Dosunmu blocks Jimmy Butler's two point jump shot | ||
| 1:11 | | Ayo Dosunmu defensive rebound | ||
| 1:07 | | DeMar DeRozan turnover (out of bounds lost ball) | ||
| 0:55 | | +2 | Jaime Jaquez Jr. makes two point layup | 52-58 |
| 0:42 | | Coby White misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:40 | | Nikola Vucevic offensive rebound |