NBA Game Summary - Chicago at Miami

Miami, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - The Miami Heat took in once last chance to relish their 2012-13 championship season. Then it was back to business.

The two-time defending NBA title-holders sent a clear message to one of the expected top challengers to their crown, using a torrid shooting display and a dominant second quarter to deal the Chicago Bulls a 107-95 loss in the season opener for both Eastern Conference contenders at American Airlines Arena.

Seven Miami players finished with double-figure points in a balanced offensive effort, and the Heat outscored the Bulls by a 37-18 margin during the pivotal second quarter to put their opponent at a substantial deficit it could never quite overcome.

Reigning league MVP LeBron James paced Miami's spread-the-wealth attack with 17 points to go along with eight assists and six rebounds, while Chris Bosh netted 16 points and Shane Battier went 4-for-4 from 3-point range to contribute 14 points off the bench. As a team, the Heat hit on 11-of-20 attempts from beyond the arc and shot 51.4 percent overall.

Despite a 31-point outburst from Carlos Boozer, the return of Derrick Rose still produced an undesired outcome for the Bulls. The star point guard, playing in his first meaningful game since tearing his left ACL during the 2012 Eastern Conference playoffs, went just 4-for-15 from the field and had five turnovers while accumulating 12 points.

Luol Deng managed only four points in the loss while being saddled with foul trouble for much of the first half. Jimmy Butler scored 20 points for Chicago.