The Chicago Bulls go for back-to-back road wins to open their Eastern Conference semifinal matchup against the top-seeded Miami Heat, and they'll kick off Wednesday's NBA schedule that closes with the San Antonio Spurs seeking a Game 2 victory against the Golden State Warriors.
A Game 1 victory saw San Antonio make league history by being the first playoff team in 392 tries to come from 16 down with four or less minutes remaining, according to the San Antonio Express-News. Taking the Western Conference semifinal opener 129-127 in two overtimes not only avoided boosting the confidence of Mark Jackson's young team but put it in a mentally vulnerable position having blown the lead.
Tim Duncan didn't play but a few minutes during the last few minutes of regulation and the two overtimes because of a stomach illness, and Manu Ginobili went 5-for-20 from the floor but saved the day with a three-point shot in the final two seconds of the second overtime -- that put the Spurs ahead for the final score. The Warriors would be lucky to find themselves with such opportunity in Game 2, which tips at 9:30 p.m. ET and airs on TNT.
The two-game primetime set of games begins on Wednesday with the Chicago Bulls hoping to steal their second game in a row in the Heat's arena. Coming off a sweep of the eight-seed Milwaukee Bucks, Miami looked rusty in its first playoff loss and didn't take well to the punches thrown by Tom Thibodeau's physical Bulls squad.
Nate Robinson led Chicago with 27 points and nine assists, and wing Jimmy Butler scored 21. More importantly, the Bulls' defense held Miami to 40 percent shooting and 29 percent form three-point range in the 93-86 surprise win in Game 1.
The loss for Miami could be a bit more concerning if the Bulls start gaining confidence. With the potential return of point guard Derrick Rose from his ACL recovery, however small that may be, the Heat could ill afford to lose another game on their home court.
Game | Time (ET) | TV |
Bulls at Heat | 7 p.m. | TNT |
Warriors at Spurs | 9:30 p.m. | TNT |
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