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Whiteside's triple-double lifts Heat past Bulls

Jan 26, 2015 - 1:11 AM Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Right when it appeared the Chicago Bulls were on the verge of a late charge, Hassan Whiteside swatted away any chances of a comeback.

Whiteside recorded his first career triple-double in just 24 minutes, posting 14 points, 13 rebounds and a franchise-record 12 blocks as the Miami Heat defeated the Bulls 96-84 on Sunday afternoon.

There weren't any NBA teams calling the 7-footer a few months ago, but Whiteside kept at it.

"Three months ago I was at the downtown Y just chilling, working on my game," Whiteside said.

Then the Heat came calling in late November and the rest is history.

Taj Gibson's tip-in got the Bulls within 91-84 with 1:59 left and it looked like Aaron Brooks had a free lane to the basket a possession later, but Whiteside came out of nowhere to make the block.

Dwyane Wade, who netted 12 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, then nailed a turnaround jumper from the left wing at the other end to put the game away.

Chris Bosh tallied 20 points and seven rebounds, Luol Deng supplied 15 points and 10 boards and Mario Chalmers added 15 points and five assists for Miami, which has won five of its last eight games.

It was Deng's first game back in Chicago since being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers last January. He signed with the Heat during the offseason.

Pau Gasol had 13 points and 17 rebounds, while Derrick Rose provided 19 points and four assists for the Bulls, who had won their last two games coming in on the heels of a 2-6 stretch.

"Started off slow, it cost us a loss," Rose said.

After a runner from Chicago's Kirk Hinrich tied the game at 20-20 late in the opening frame, a 10-0 Miami run that bled into the second helped it seize control.

Whiteside put in a hook shot, Chalmers knocked down a 3-pointer and Deng split a pair of free throws to stake the Heat to a 26-20 advantage following a quarter of play. Whiteside's dunk capped the burst and gave Miami a 30-20 margin early in the second.

The Heat led 48-38 at the break and 74-62 after three quarters.

Game Notes

Alonzo Mourning held the previous Heat single-game blocks record with nine ... Miami had dropped seven of its last eight regular-season contests in Chicago ... Whiteside had missed the last two games with a sprained ankle ... Brooks finished with 17 points off the bench ... Miami won despite going just 1-of-13 from beyond the arc.