Ben Gordon scored 27 points and Luol Deng added 24 as the Chicago Bulls defeated NBA champions Miami Heat 104-96 in Miami on Friday.

Briton Deng also pulled down 11 rebounds as the Bulls won 104-96 to take a 3-0 lead over Miami in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference first-round series.

Kirk Hinrich had 22 points and six assists and Ben Wallace added 11 and eight rebounds for the Bulls.

The defeat leaves the Heat, which missed 19 of its 35 free throws, to the brink of elimination. In the 78 previous times in playoff history, a team that trailed 3-0 has never rallied to win the series.

The Heat are one game away from becoming the first defending champions to be removed in the first round since the 2000 San Antonio Spurs were knocked out in four games by the Phoenix Suns.

Trailing 79-72 with 27 seconds gone in the fourth quarter, the Bulls went on a 10-0 run to take a three-point lead with 8:06 left. Gordon scored six points and Deng added an 18-foot jumper to cap the spurt.

The Bulls built a nine-point advantage with 3:10 remaining and Miami reduced the deficit to three when Dwyane Wade nailed, making it 99-96 with 1:24 left.

However, the Bulls scored the final five points on free throws by Hinrich and Deng and took their 3-0 lead in a seven-game series.

Wade finished with 28 points and nine rebounds and Shaquille O'Neal added 23 and 13 for the Heat, who will try to fend off elimination at home on Sunday.

Editor: Donald