Bulls' struggles continue with blowout loss to Heat

Steven J. Gaither

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Bulls' struggles continue with blowout loss to Heat image

Once again, the injury bug is threatening to derail the Bulls' season. 

Not so long ago, they were among the top teams in the Eastern Conference. After losing 129-111 to the Heat on Tuesday, they're in ninth place in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

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Defense was a big problem for the Bulls. They allowed the Heat to shoot a ridiculous 67.5 percent from the field. Every player on the Heat shot at least 50 percent, and their 129 points were a season high.

Chicago sorely missed key defenders Joakim Noah and Jimmy Butler. Noah is out for the season after dislocating his shoulder in mid-January while Butler has been out nearly a month with a strained left knee. The team hopes to have Butler back at practice as early as this week.

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One positive for the Bulls is the solid play of Derrick Rose. Rose returned to the lineup Tuesday after missing three games with a hamstring injury. He had 17 points in 24 minutes.

The Bulls have lost seven of their last 10 games. There's still time to correct their course, but in an improving Eastern Conference, moving up isn't as easy as it has been in the past.

Stud of the Night

Hassan Whiteside refuses to cool off. The Heat big man had another big game Tuesday, scoring 26 points, grabbing 14 rebounds and blocking four shots. He's averaging 15.3 points, 12.8 rebounds and 4.1 blocks per game in his last 10 contests. 

Dud of the Night

It’s too easy to pick on the Suns, but they are always so ripe for the picking. They fell 126-92 to the Hornets, allowing their opponent to shoot better than 48 percent from the field and the 3-point line.

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Tweet of the night

Stephen Curry might have strengthened his case for another MVP without taking a single shot Tuesday. He sat out the Warriors' game against the Hawks with a left ankle injury and his team nearly had its home winning streak end at 42 games. Golden State held on a 109-105 overtime victory. 

Looking ahead

Thunder (42-18) at Clippers (39-20), 10:30 p.m. ET: Slowly but surely, the Clippers have made their way up the standings and are now breathing down the Thunder’s necks for third in the West. This should be a fun one, even without Blake Griffin.

Steven J. Gaither