Miami Heat scorch Chicago Bulls to dent Chicago playoff hopes

The Miami Heat put a serious dent in Chicago's playoff prospects with a resounding 103-74 victory at the United Centre on Thursday. 

Jermaine O'Neal scored 24 points while Dwyane Wade was the team's playmaker with 12 points and 10 assists as the Heat (38-34) built a 30-point halftime lead and moved into sole possession of sixth place in the Eastern Conference.

The defeat dropped Chicago 2 ½   games behind the eighth-place Toronto Raptors with 11 games remaining in the regular season.

The Bulls entered the contest having emerged from a 10-game losing streak with two straight wins, boosted by the return of Derrick Rose from a wrist injury and Joakim Noah from foot problems.

However, Chicago (33-38) produced an embarrassing home effort and shot just 33 percent from the field while Hakim Warrick led team scoring with 14 points from the bench.