MIAMI: Nate Robinson scored the go-ahead jumpshot with 1:18 left as the Chicago Bulls scored the final 10 points en route to a 93-86 win over reigning champions Miami in the opener of their NBA playoff series.
Robinson, who was bloodied in the first half after a collision with LeBron James, carried the visiting Bulls on his back down the stretch by scoring the final seven points Monday to give the Bulls a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
“We’ve been hit all year with a lot of different things, but I like the mental toughness of our team,” Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. “This is just one game.”
Robinson finished with 27 points and nine assists for the injury-riddled Bulls, who had snapped the Heat’s 27-game winning streak during the regular season and handed them their first loss in their last 13 games on Monday.
Robinson played with 10 stitches in his mouth after hitting his face on floor. He left the game to get medical attention but returned later.
“It was just a hustle play that went wrong,” Robinson said. “You have to play through it.”
James had 22 of his 24 points in the second half for Miami, which lost its third game in its last 44 going back to February 3.
Miami will host Game 2 Wednesday where the Heat will try to get a split of their two games at home to begin the second-round series.
The Heat, who had been idle for the past week, looked rusty down the stretch.
The Bulls bottled up James late in the fourth as they appear to have developed a formula this season for beating the mighty Heat. The Bulls finished the contest on a 10-0 run.
“Our offense was not as fluid and efficient as it normally is, and you have to give credit to their defense for that. We need to show more poise, patience and aggressiveness,” Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra said.
Chicago ended Miami’s 27-game winning streak, which was the second-longest in league history. After that regular-season loss, James complained about the Bulls physical play, especially the defense of Kirk Hinrich and Taj Gibson.
James didn’t have to contend with injured Hinrich Monday, but he did have his hands full with the rest of the Bulls’ balanced attack.
On top of missing Hinrich and injured former MVP Derrick Rose, Luol Deng also didn’t play against Miami with complications from a spinal tap procedure.
Deng, 28, underwent the spinal tap last week to rule out meningitis.
Injuries aside, the Bulls showed their depth as five players finished in double figures, including forward Gibson who came off the bench to score 12 points.
Jimmy Butler had 21 points and 14 rebounds, while Joakim Noah added 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Bulls, who held a commanding 46-32 advantage on the glass and a 17-8 edge in second-chance points.
The trio of James, Wade and Chris Bosh combined for just 12 points in the opening half, their lowest first-half total of the season.
Spurs 129 Warriors 127 (2OT): Manu Ginobili buried a three-pointer from the left wing with 1.2 seconds left in the second overtime as San Antonio came from behind to stun visiting Golden State in Game 1 of the Western Conference semi-finals. The Spurs trailed by as many as 18 points at one stage and were 16 behind with less than four minutes left in the fourth quarter before a furious rally forced overtime.
Tony Parker led the way with 28 points, eight assists and eight rebounds and Danny Green knocked down six three-pointers en route to 22 points as San Antonio won its fifth straight game to begin the playoffs.
Stephen Curry played all 58 minutes and collected 44 points and 11 assists, including the pass that led to Kent Bazemore’s go-ahead layup with 3.9 seconds left in the second overtime that gave the Warriors a brief lead.
Harrison Barnes added 19 points and 12 rebounds and Klay Thompson scored 19 before fouling out during the Spurs’ rally at the end of the fourth.
The Warriors led 104-88 late in the fourth when Parker scored six straight points and scooped in a transition layup to highlight a 15-0 run that cut the deficit to a single point with 59 seconds to play.
