MIAMI – There were no screams or meltdowns at the free throw line that could save the Bulls on Friday.

There was only the reality of Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat ending the Bulls season 102-91, putting to rest the organization’s hope of reaching the postseason for the second consecutive year.

Thanks to Butler’s 31 points, Miami advanced out of the final play-in game of the Eastern Conference, and the Bulls advanced to an offseason of some serious questions.

The Bulls were haunted by two former teammates actually, but the other one wasn’t the one that everyone was expecting.

Max Strus, who spent the 2019-20 season with the Bulls until a knee injury ended up getting him moved along to the Heat, carried Miami off the opening tip, hitting four three-pointers to give the home team the 12-8 lead.

Then it was Butler time.

By the time Butler poked the ball loose from Coby White and took it home for the uncontested slam, the Bulls found themselves down 14. No worries. It was a very familiar place.

Thanks to DeMar DeRozan, that deficit was down to just eight by the end of the first stanza, as the cagy vet went to the mid-range and the free throw line, still getting opposing defenders to buy that pump fake he was selling.

That’s about the time that the game got really muddy for both offenses. Missed layups, bad passing, jumpers that only hit backboard … the Milwaukee Bucks – who were waiting for the winner – had to be feeling pretty good watching it.

The Bulls did cut the Miami lead to one, but a Kyle Lowry three-pointer and a Tyler Herro floater pushed the deficit back to six. That back and forth continued until the teams headed into the locker room for the half with Miami up 49-44, and Strus with 23 points on 6-of-8 shooting from three-point range.

Strus would cool down to start the second half, but the clumsy offense by both teams was alive and well. While the Bulls put together a work of art in the third quarter against Toronto, this was far from that. The good news for the Bulls was they actually had the lead when the third was over, but neither team should have been proud of the performance.

Miami went 6-for-26 (23.1%) from the field in the third, including a 1-for-9 from three. The Bulls were a bit better from the field, hitting 47.8%, but went 0-for-6 from three.

Still, what the Bulls did have was momentum.

And DeRozan.

All DeRozan did was get two baskets with the harm, converting both three-point plays to put the Bulls up six at the 8:27 mark.

Butler had an answer with back-to-back layups to cut the deficit to two, but Coby White stopped the bleeding with a big-time three.

Take the punch, and counterpunch.

That’s what the last five minutes of the game was about, and then the Butler did it, putting Miami back in front by one with the lay-up with 2:17 left.

The lead was three with 1:41 left after two Bam Adebayo free throws, but DeRozan again drew the foul and cut the lead to two when he split the pair.

Strus woke up again with 1:14 left and hit his first three of the second half, and after another Zach LaVine miss, Strus was fouled on a three-point attempt and made all three with 39.1 seconds left, all but putting the Bulls on ice.