Facing off in their first of three straight against the Miami Heat, the Chicago Bulls fell short, 116-113. Unlike Wednesday night’s battle, where they let the Pacers find their rhythm late, the Bulls were the ones to claw back in. When a team is as well-coached as the Heat, however, finishing the job is extra difficult.
Back at it on Saturday in South Beach.
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3 Takeaways
A Dumbfounding Shot Chart
If the Chicago Bulls were hungry for revenge, their stomachs certainly weren’t rumbling. The first half of action looked a lot like what we have recently grown used to in this matchup. While there was some initial back-and-forth thanks to surprising aggressiveness from Isaac Okoro and Jalen Smith, the Heat didn’t need long to gain control.
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Their combination of speed and physicality slowly but surely started to take a toll on a Bulls team that played in Indianapolis 24 hours earlier. To be sure, Chicago would only face a 61-50 deficit heading into the halftime break, but the gap felt a whole lot bigger. They posted only 20 points in the second quarter alone on a 25.7 percent success rate.
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Chicago’s inability to buy a bucket at the rim is what really jumped off the screen. They went a staggering 9-25 from inside the paint over the first two quarters, struggling to finish over the top of Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware. Far too many times, they settled for lower-percentage floaters right outside the restricted area.
Seriously, the shot chart is about as ugly as it gets …
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via NBA.com | via NBA.com
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To little surprise, the Heat had the opposite success against Chicago’s far weaker interior defense. They shot 14-18 in the paint and went 10-12 from the charity stripe. When the Heat started the night a perfect 6-6 from the field, you could tell this was going to be an uphill battle for the Bulls.
Miami Loves Mistakes
The Miami Heat came into the evening averaging the NBA’s fourth-most points off turnovers and in the fastbreak. It showed.
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While the Heat faced their own struggles offensively as the game went on, their efficiency when earning extra possessions proved to be the difference-maker. They finished the night with 23 points scored off the Bulls’ 16 turnovers. Relatedly, entering with the highest PACE in the NBA, they were a +12 in the fastbreak points.
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Arguably, no sequence described the night better than when the Bulls were down 106-100 with 5:38 to go. Pelle Larsson went down the floor and drained a three, forcing Billy Donovan to call a timeout. Frustration appeared to be boiling over for the Bulls, who looked both gassed and bothered with their own poor shooting.
Coming out of the timeout, Chicago immediately turned the ball over again. Nikola Jovic proceeded to shank a three-pointer, but the Bulls failed to capitalize again with a second consecutive turnover. A massive missed opportunity.
To be sure, the Bulls would still find themselves in a position to steal the game for reasons we will discuss in a moment, but that’s when the turnover monster reared its head again. Chicago forced a key stop down 112-109 with under 30 seconds to go. Now with a chance to go down the floor and tie the game, Coby White didn’t see Larsson underneath the rim, and the ball was poked away with ease. Miami may not have converted off this turnover, but they milked 18 more valuable seconds off the clock.
As we all know, Miami is one of the most well-coached teams in the NBA. The last thing you want to do is fork over too many extra chances or fail to hustle back in the open floor. Chicago did both too many times tonight.
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Ayo Dosunmu Puts On His Cape
On life support for three quarters, Ayo Dosunmu single-handedly gave the Chicago Bulls a chance to steal the win.
After the Bulls’ initial turnover frenzy around the 5 minutes mark, Dosunmu put together an individual 7-0 run. He first nailed a tough reverse layup before draining a three from the corner. Then, he finished another bucket at the rim to suddenly cut the Miami lead to 110-107. This is when the absence of Davion Mitchell for Miami may have been felt the most. They simply didn’t have someone on the floor who could stay in front of the high-energy guard.
Fast forward to 10.1 seconds left, and Dosunmu was draining two clutch free throws to make it a 112-111 game. Following some free throw trading, the Bulls would ultimately watch Coby White come up short on a game-tying three-point attempt. Still, it was a remarkably impressive fourth quarter for Dosunmu, who finished with 15 of his 23 points in the frame and was all over the floor. If you’re a guard-needy team watching with the trade deadline approaching, what you’re willing to give up to bring Dosunmu in may have just gone up.
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Chicago Bulls Player Grades
Jan 29, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis (14) drives to the basket against the Miami Heat during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
Sometimes, you will look down and be caught off guard by Kevin Huerter’s balanced box score, but tonight wasn’t one of those nights. You were consistently aware of him when he was out there, whether it be behind the arc (4-9) or on the glass. You need to bring that extra gear when playing Miami, and he did that.
Matas Buzelis was fighting on both ends and trying to match Miami’s physicality up front. While he only finished 6-15 from the field, tonight showed the mix of early aggressiveness and in-game adjusting that we want to see from the youngster. With shots not falling in the first half, he was a little more careful with his selection in the second half.
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Jalen Smith – C+ Stats: 11 PTS, 5 REB
The Chicago Bulls hung around in the first quarter, in part, because of Jalen Smith’s shotmaking. He scored the team’s first three buckets of the night before later knocking down the three that knotted things up at 29 apiece. Nevertheless, by the end of the Bulls’ poor second quarter, the team announced that he would not return due to calf tightness. Not what you want to hear.
Coby White – C- Stats: 14 PTS, 7 REB, 5 REB, 2 STL
Tonight was a tough one for Coby White, who shot 2-11 from the field and missed the potential game-tying bucket. He also turned the ball over a few times down the stretch. The good news: 8-10 from the charity stripe.
Video shows bright orange flames still burning at a warehouse in Northwest Miami-Dade on Friday, almost 24 hours after crews first responded.
The flames broke out before 11 a.m. Thursday, sending towers of thick black smoke into the sky, and crews have been attempting to put the fire out since.
Officials said the structure located just east of Red Road and south of Florida’s Turnpike Extension is more than twice the size of a Costco warehouse and contains hazardous materials inside.
More than 200 firefighters from both Broward and Miami-Dade counties have been fighting the blaze, which officials say could burn for days.
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The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Lives spared, livelihoods lost
Miami-Dade Deputy Fire Chief Danny Cardeso said no injuries were reported.
The driver of an 18-wheeler told NBC6 he was at the warehouse, which stores inventory for shipments, when the fire alarm went off.
He said everyone immediately evacuated, no one was hurt, and everyone inside was accounted for. Still, some workers and business owners fear they lost their livelihoods.
Benny Monción, who owns DBenny Sazón, one of the food trucks parked at the facility, was in tears when she spoke to NBC6 at the scene.
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She said a friend of hers who also owns a food truck called to tell her how he fared.
“He called me just now, we were watching the news, and my truck was still intact, but his, the fire got it,” she said, her voice breaking as she put her head in her hand. “It burned it all up.”
She said she wasn’t sure what had happened to her truck, which normally operates on 50 North University Drive in Pembroke Pines, as the fire raged.
“I ask God that mine at least can be OK, but I feel so bad [that his didn’t make it], because these are hardworking people, looking to earn their daily living that in this country is too hard,” Monción said. “It’s so many things.”
Air quality concerns
A public safety alert was issued at one point Thursday due to the heavy smoke. The alert recommended those with respiratory problems and medical conditions to shelter in place if possible.
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Dr. Donny Perez, a medical director at Memorial Regional Hospital South, said fires like this can send fine particles into the air that can irritate the lungs and cause coughing, shortness of breath, wheezing, chest tightness, sore throat, chest pain and palpitations.
“Even their eyes can get irritated, the sore throat. So the best thing is to stay indoors with the windows closed, avoid outdoor exercise. Wear an N-95 mask if you must go outside. Use your rescue inhalers as prescribed if you do have lung disease,” he said.
Resident Gloria Downey said the smoke was concerning, especially with the uncertainty about what materials could be burning.
“I mean I don’t know what’s in that building, but I have lived here since before that building was built off and on, and God knows what’s in there,” she said. “We have the house completely sealed. We have air filters running in both rooms. The air condition is off. It’s a little hot in Miami, but we’ll be all right.”
Drought and wind may hinder firefight
Winds on Friday are blowing consistently at 10-20 mph toward the northwest, pushing the smoke over a nearby landfill and out over the Everglades.
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“Just a couple of spotty little showers here, not enough to really help with the fire,” NBC6’s meteorologist Adam Berg said. “But the winds certainly don’t help.”
Traffic impacts
Officials asked people to avoid the area while they worked to put out the fire. Northwest 47th Avenue is closed between Honey Hill Drive (Northwest 199th Street) to Northwest 207th Drive.
A mother in Miami Gardens has been sentenced to five years of probation after her 2-year-old son accidentally shot himself with a gun he found in her purse.
According to police, the incident happened last summer at an apartment complex in Miami Gardens. Authorities say the toddler grabbed his mother’s firearm from her purse and accidentally pulled the trigger, shooting himself in the leg.
Video captured at the scene showed the child being rushed to the hospital on a stretcher. The boy survived and has since fully recovered.
The child’s mother, 35-year-old Christina Monique Doyle, was arrested and charged with child neglect and culpable negligence for allowing easy access to the weapon. Prosecutors said those charges carried a possible sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
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During a court hearing, the presiding judge, Alberto Milian, emphasized the responsibility that comes with gun ownership.
“I am a very pro-gun person, but along with the right and the privilege of having a gun comes responsibilities,” Milian said.
Doyle ultimately accepted a plea deal where she pleaded no contest, allowing her to avoid jail time. Instead, she was sentenced to five years of probation.
Her attorney, Dustin Tischler, said Doyle has no prior criminal record and described the incident as a mistake.
“She’s 35 years old, never been in trouble whatsoever in her life,” Tischler said. “She’s a very good mother, a very caring mother to several children. This has been a nightmare, and she’s happy to get it behind her.”
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Tischler also said the case should serve as a warning to gun owners about keeping firearms secure around children.
“Even though she had it in her purse and thought it was secure, the child was able to get to it when she was distracted,” he said. “If you have a firearm, it’s important to keep it locked away.”
Tischler said Doyle has completed a parenting program through the Florida Department of Children and Families and how she is allowed to have contact with her children, including her son who is now doing well after recovering from the injury.
NBC6 reached out to DCF about the case but we haven’t heard back yet.
Miami’s own pays tribute to former teacher on SNL Miami’s own Marcello Hernandez brought a piece of home to SNL for his latest performance, giving a tribute to his hometown and a special teacher in that classic Miami accent.
NEW YORK CITY — Miami’s own Marcello Hernandez brought a piece of home to SNL for his latest performance, giving a tribute to his hometown and a special teacher in that classic Miami accent.
During his performance, Hernandez definitely brought the character of “Mr. Fronzi” to life.
The over-the-top teacher with a big heart was a character inspired by his real-life theology teacher at Miami-Dade’s private Belen Jesuit Preparatory School, Angie Fernandez.
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And Hernandez even flew her up to New York City to see the skit live in person.
“When I saw the skit, I was flabbergasted. I laughed from here to eternity. It was so good,” Fernandez said. “I am so honored that he chose to imitate me. That’s the best compliment you can give somebody!”
Fernandez said that while Hernandez drove her crazy in her classroom, he was also always humble, honest and she calls him one of her favorite students.
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Jenise Fernandez
Jenise Fernandez is a six-time Emmy award winning anchor and reporter at Local 10 News. Currently, she anchors the 3 p.m. and 10 p.m. news, Monday through Friday.
