The Miami Heat's disappointing loss to undermanned Chicago Bulls squad

In this middle of the season mini series with the Chicago Bulls, the second game of three took place tonight in Miami.

The Heat were without Tyler Herro, Norman Powell, and Davion Mitchell for this one, while the Bulls were missing plenty of names such as Josh Giddey, Coby White, Nikola Vucevic, and Jalen Smith.

In natural Heat fashion in a game where the Heat were expected to take care of business, the Bulls out-shot Miami from deep, before stealing back the lead in the second half. Just a disappointing outing for the Heat.

So let's jump right into some takeaways:

1. Dealing with undermanned teams.

Jan 31, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis (14) drives past Miami Heat guard Pelle Larsson (9) during the first half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

There's never a sigh of relief from Heat fans when seeing the opposing team has a lengthy injury report and depleted roster. It's one of the tougher things to scout for, and Miami always has trouble dealing with the chaotic scoring. It's easier to come in with a game-plan surrounded around one or two players, where you can send help from certain areas. The Bulls got out to an early lead due to that, and it's something to note as there are a lot of these type of games coming up. The offense needs to be better against teams with constant mismatches, though. Consistently: across the entire 48 minutes.

2. Bam Adebayo's fourth quarter translation.

Jan 31, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Patrick Williams (44) takes a shot around Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) during the first half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Through the first half of the fourth quarter, the Miami Heat scored 11 points. All eleven of those points came from the captain Bam Adebayo. He was scoring off the dribble, got to the line, and his three ball dropped, even as one got taken away much later in the game upon review. But through all of this, the Heat still were trailing by two or more possessions in that stretch. The true translation of that run: that type of run from Adebayo without overtaking a lead...against this Bulls team is disappointing. They made a late run to get back into it, but it wasn't enough to escape with a win. The truth is they believed they wouldn't need to over-do Adebayo offensively in a game like this, but eventually they forced his hand.

3. A three man combo to note...amid deadline approaching.

Jan 31, 2026; Miami, Florida, USA; Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis (14) gets fouled by Miami Heat guard Pelle Larsson (9) during the first half at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

In these weird games with so many guys out, it's usually the youth's time to shine to spark runs along the way. That's what happened in the second quarter, as Kasparas Jakucionis, Jaime Jaquez Jr, and Pelle Larsson led a lineup that just non-stop ran up and down the floor. It's a fun trio when they're able to play fast, open-court hoops like tonight. Jakucionis with the ball in his hands has been fun to watch, as he's been pulled into a heavy off-ball role this year. Larsson and Jaquez have been used to this style, but those two guys' usage peaked most tonight with the guys out. Interesting timing as "blue chip young players" roam the Bucks' mind.