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Heat-Bulls Preview

Jan 24, 2016 - 9:36 PM With a daunting road stretch having tripped up the Miami Heat, the Chicago Bulls have a good opportunity to build momentum prior to their longest trip of the season.

The Bulls will try to win consecutive games for the first time in nearly three weeks when the Heat limp into United Center on Monday night hoping to find some offense.

Chicago (25-18) has gone 3-6 without back-to-back wins since Jan. 9 and will be playing its only home game in a stretch of 10. Looming is a seven-game trip that opens against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday.

The Bulls entered Saturday's road contest versus Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland with two straight losses, but they dominated the Cavaliers from start to finish in a 96-83 victory that extended a strange trend.

They're 8-2 against the NBA's top six teams - the only two losses coming against Golden State - but have dropped three at home against teams in the bottom five of the league. After winning five in a row at home, Chicago has lost three straight there.

"The talent of our team and the will of our team allows us to beat some of the best, the top teams in the league, and sometimes our lack of a sense of urgency and mental preparation for some games makes us lose to teams we shouldn't," Pau Gasol told the team's official website. "Especially at home. It's something we need to change right away starting the next game against Miami."

The Heat (23-21) have been playing like one of the league's bottom feeders, losing four in a row and seven of eight. Miami, which 2-7 so far on a stretch in which 14 of 16 come away from home, hasn't dropped five in a row since Feb. 27-March 8, 2011.

The Heat are one of three NBA teams averaging fewer than 96 points at 95.5, and their offensive struggles have been even more pronounced during the skid with an average of 80.3 on 41.7 percent shooting.

Offense is typically at a premium in this series, which has resulted in three wins for Chicago in the previous four matchups. The Bulls have averaged 88 points to Miami's 86 in the last five and neither team has reached 100 in any of those contests.

Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh combined to shoot 19 of 39 for 48 points during Friday's 101-81 loss at Toronto, but Miami's other seven available players shot just 33.3 percent for 33 points.

Wade has missed two of the last five with shoulder soreness and had to test it in warmups before declaring himself ready against the Raptors, while Hassan Whiteside (strained left hip), Goran Dragic (calf) and Luol Deng (eye) sat out. Whiteside and Deng are questionable against the Bulls, and Dragic is targeting a return on Friday at Milwaukee - meaning he would also miss Tuesday's game at Brooklyn.

"At this point I don't think I've got time to wait around to feel great," Wade said. "We've got so many bodies down, you want to get out there and help our team when you can."

Exactly one year ago Monday, Whiteside notched a triple-double in a 96-84 win in Chicago with 14 points, 13 rebounds and a career-best 12 blocks. He had 19 points and 16 boards in an 89-78 loss on April 9 that marks his only other game against Chicago.

After averaging 25.3 points in his previous three games, Derrick Rose made just 5 of 21 shots and scored 12 against Cleveland. He has averaged 11.8 while shooting 31.1 percent in his last five against Miami.