NBA Play In: Chicago Bulls vs. Miami Heat Preview, Odds, Predictions

The Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls will determine the last playoff team in the Eastern Conference as they meet in Florida on Friday night. Chicago was better than the Toronto Raptors in Canada, which was kinda solid surprise, the same as Miami’s loss at home to the Atlanta Hawks. Now, this could be the last game for many players in their current teams. Whoever loses this matchup will most certainly undergo a painful and radical rebuild during the summer. 

Here is the Western Conference NBA play in preview for the OKC Thunder vs. Minnesota Timberwolves game.

Preview

Chicago Bulls (+165) made a stunning return in the final 12 minutes of the game in Canada, erasing their double-digit deficit and winning that part of the event 37-24. At one moment, the Raptors were up 66-47, with the fans already thinking about the next game in Miami. 

Yet, Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan didn’t think like that, especially the first one who stuffed 39 points on Toronto’s defense. LaVine’s three-point shooting was mediocre 2-for-7, but the two-point 10-for-15 and the free throws 13 hits in 15 attempts were near perfect.

DeRozan scored 23 points against his former team, with seven boards, while Nikola Vucevic posted a double-double with 14 and 13 boards. The Bulls won this one with only seven threes scored, which is pretty remarkable. Also, they were outrebounded 36 to 50.

Miami Heat (-220) lost to Hawks 116-105, not threatening the rivals at any point in the game. We’ve spoken already that the Heat team looks worn off and tired from playing together for the past few years. They need some fresh blood. They have massive potential, but something simply ain’t right on the floor. 

Protecting the glass was the main problem for the Heat against the Hawks, having only 39 rebounds while the guests racked up 63. If it weren’t for Kyle Lowry, who went wild behind the three-point line, scoring six hits in nine attempts, things would be much worse for the Heat.

Lowry ended the night with 33 points, Tyler Herro had 26 and six boards, and Jimmy Butler scored 21 and had nine assists. Adebayo finished the night by posting 12 buckets and nine rebounds. 

Head to Head Games

The Chicago Bulls swept the Heat in the regular part of the year, winning all three games. And all of them were in different phases of the campaign. The first was in October when the Bulls triumphed in Miami 116-108; the next in Miami too, only in late December, with the Bulls winning 113-103. Finally, the most recent meeting took place on March 18, at the United Center, where hosts recorded a routine success, 113-99. 

Prediction

We’re going with the Bulls here. A 3-0 record during the regular part of the year has to mean something, and besides that, this unit is in a much better state of mind than the Heat, who look like they want the season to end as soon as possible. Also, we’ve noticed that the crowd in Miami isn’t as fired up as in previous years, which also tells a lot. Therefore, risking with the Bulls, in this case, has sense, especially with the odds of their victory at +180.

Pick: Chicago Bulls win +180