MIAMI _ Hassan Whiteside stood tallest, but also without a closer.
Because this time Dwyane Wade wasn't alongside but rather on the other side.
So on a night Whiteside closed with 20 points and 20 rebounds, all the Miami Heat had to show for it Thursday night at AmericanAirlines Arena was a 98-95 loss to Wade and the Chicago Bulls that dropped them to 2-5.
It was at the start of July when the Heat had to decide where to first go with their free-agency stash. They immediately arrived at Whiteside's doorstep, envisioning nights like this with their four-year, $98 million contract.
But it also came at the cost of Wade's faith and, ultimately, allegiance.
So when point guard Goran Dragic was lost in Thursday's third quarter with a sprained left ankle, closing time became a lot more convoluted for the Heat.
While Wade wasn't able to recreate his previous magic on this floor, with his 5-of-17, 13-point performance, the Bulls had ample options to choose from that the finish, with Jimmy Butler closing with 20 points and Rajon Rondo with 16.
From the Heat there were 16 points from Dion Waiters, 15 from Justise Winslow, 14 from Tyler Johnson and 16 from Josh Richardson.
The Heat appeared to force a turnover on the Bulls ensuing inbounds pass, with Winslow instead called for a foul on Wade, who went to the line with 13.7 seconds to play, making both foul shots for a 96-92 Chicago lead.
After a 3-pointer from Richardson drew the Heat within 90-87 with 1:36 to play, Winslow then attacked the rim for a driving layup that closed the gap to 90-89 with 70 seconds to play.
But back came Butler with a 12-foot pull-up with 53.9 seconds to play for a 92-89 Bulls lead.
A pair of Heat misses followed, leaving the Bulls in possession up three with 25.6 seconds to play. Two Butler free throws with 19.2 seconds extended Chicago's lead to 94-89.
Richardson followed with a 3-pointer with 14.2 seconds to play to draw the Heat within 94-92.
Just as it was tied at halftime, the teams went into the fourth quarter tied at 70.
Whiteside was up to 18 points and 18 rebounds by then, with Wade at that stage with nine points on 4-of-12 shooting.
Dragic exited the game with 4:50 left in the third period with a sprained left ankle after suffering a blowout and falling during a 1-on-2 layup attempt. He immediately went to the locker room, where he was ruled out for the balance of the night, closing with six points on 3-of-9 shooting, with four assists and four turnovers.
The teams went into the intermission tied at 53. Whiteside already had his sixth double-double of the season by then, with 12 points and 10 rebounds, but hardly was dominant in the middle, with Bulls center Robin Lopez with 12 points to that stage.
The most heartening aspect of the first half for the Heat might have been Winslow's 3 of 3 shooting on 3-pointers amid the shooting struggles he brought into the game.
The Heat made their first three shots and burst to an 8-0 lead that eventually became a 12-4 edge. But that's when the Bulls replied with a 12-0 run that helped them take a 23-22 lead into the second period.
Wade was honored with a video tribute during the first stoppage, stepping onto the court to acknowledge the fans before play resumed. Whiteside had six points and seven rebounds in the first period, but hardly was dominant in the middle, with Lopez with eight points and five rebounds in that first quarter.
The Heat remained with the same starting lineup for the seventh time in as many games, with Dion Waiters opening defensively at shooting guard against Wade, as well as Luke Babbitt again opening at power forward.
There were, however, a few rotation twists, with the Heat not immediately going small, with forward James Johnson subbing in for Winslow, and then Richardson playing off the bench ahead of Tyler Johnson.
"I think it's still too early to make any kind of definitive evaluation," coach Erik Spoelstra said of the Heat's early-season lineup and rotation. "Our starters had been getting off to good starts until [Monday, a lopsided road loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder]. We were trying to find some consistency once we went into the rotation, before that. And last game, I thought rotation reserves played really well.
"So we're just trying to find some consistency, something that we can build on. We're [seven] games into it. I don't think those answers are quite there yet."
Spoelstra said the goal is to find a unit that can play to the identity he seeks from his reshaped roster.
"Yeah, it works hand in hand," he said. "Our strengths: We're an attacking, aggressive team. We like to get into the paint. We're at our best went we're doing that and doing that with some kind of pace. We also do need some spacing, to be able to accomplish that. But we need to get better in all of those areas."
Babbitt said he appreciates Spoelstra giving the initial starting lineup an opportunity to mesh.
"Sure, yeah. I think it's still early in the season," Babbitt said. "We're a new group, not just the starting unit, but all of us. Guys are coming from different teams. Young guys are playing bigger roles, so it's a new group. It takes time."
