In a regular season game with a distinct playoff feel, the Chicago Bulls beat the Miami Heat 93-89 Thursday. Luol Deng hit a 3-pointer with 16 seconds left to break an 89-89 tie and give the Bulls the victory. Derrick Rose led the Bulls with 26 points, while Dwyane Wade had 34 points and LeBron James had 29 for the Heat.
The game was heralded as a contest between a pair of Big Threes (James, Wade and Chris Bosh for Miami; Rose, Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah for the Bulls) but both teams had one player fail to show up. Bosh was 1-for-18 from the field for seven points while Noah played only 10 minutes of the second half. Instead, unheralded forward Deng had 20 points,
"There are 12 men that dress and five guys on the floor. It takes more than three guys to make a team."
-- Luol Deng, talking about not being considered one of the Bulls' Big Three
Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets used a 13-0 run in the fourth quarter to surprise the Celtics 89-75.