Heat to face Celtics after blowing out Bulls
The Miami Heat dismantled the Chicago Bulls 112-91 in Friday's play-in tournament tilt to secure the final playoff spot in the East.
Tyler Herro finished just shy of a triple-double, tallying 24 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists to help Miami set up an Eastern Conference finals rematch with the top-seeded Boston Celtics.
It'll be the fourth time in the last five seasons that the two teams will meet in the postseason, with the Heat prevailing twice.
Jimmy Butler missed Friday's matchup after sustaining an MCL sprain in the previous game versus the Philadelphia 76ers. The six-time All-Star is expected to be sidelined for several weeks.
Game 1 is Sunday in Boston at 1 p.m. ET.
"I have an appreciation for the things you can't buy, the things that you have to earn," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters postgame, including Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. "We had to earn this. You can't influence it. You can't pay money for it.
"You actually have to collectively come together to earn it - and we had to do it the hard way, just to get this first ticket punched for the invitation to this dance."
DeMar DeRozan led the Bulls with 22 points, four assists, and three boards in a losing cause.
It's the second straight year that Miami has eliminated Chicago in the play-in tournament.
Chicago got off to a solid 11-6 start within the first three minutes, but it was pretty much all Miami the rest of the way.
The Heat subsequently rattled off 19 unanswered points to build a 14-point lead in the opening quarter.
While the Bulls closed the gap to just 10 points at the half, they never really threatened Miami.