News / Sports
NBA Scores: Big Games from Luol Deng and Ben Gordon Lift Bulls Past Heat in Game One
Luol Deng scored 33 points and grabbed 8 rebounds while Ben Gordon added 24 points and 11 assists as the Chicago Bulls held off a resilient Miami Heat to win 96-91 and take the first game in their Eastern Conference playoff series.
The Bulls dominated the glass, pulling down 13 more rebounds than the Heat and held a 13-4 advantage on the offensive boards. Ben Wallace led the Bulls with 14 rebounds including six on the Bulls end of the court.
Miami was forced to play without Shaquille O’Neal over the final 3:19 after he picked up his sixth foul and was forced to the bench. When Shaq left the floor the Bulls were up 87-79 but the Heat fought back and pulled to within one after Udonis Haslem hit a layup with 38 seconds left in the game.
Andres Nocioni missed a layup for the Bulls but Deng was there to grab the offensive board and Gordon was fouled with 18 seconds on the clock. Gordon sank both free-throws to push the Bulls lead to three and Dwyane Wade missed a three-pointer with 11 seconds left and were forced to foul Nocioni who buried two from the line to seal the game.
Shaq scored 19 and grabbed 6 rebounds while being limited to just 27 minutes due to foul trouble. Wade finished with 21 points on 7-16 shooting.
The two teams will meet again on Tuesday in game two of their best of seven series.
