In an eagerly-anticipated matchup between the top two teams in the Eastern Conference, the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat played a thrilling game that came down to the final seconds. Unfortunately, for the Bulls, the late breaks went the other way, as the Heat held off Derrick Rose and his teammates for the 97-93 win.
Rose was simply brilliant in the loss, netting 34 points, grabbing six boards and dishing out six assists. However, Rose missed two free-throws late in the fourth quarter that could have given Chicago the lead and also missed a floater in the lane with just seconds remaining that would have sent the game to overtime. Joakim Noah did an excellent job controlling the paint, as he scored 11 points and grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds.
The Heat were led by LeBron James, who scored a game-high 35 points and pulled down 11 rebounds. Despite th gaudy numbers, James once again struggled down the stretch, as he missed two free-throws that could have given the Heat a three-point lead in the final seconds. Chris Bosh continued his excellent production, scoring 24 points and snatching a team-high 12 rebounds in the victory.
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