The NBA’s regular season has come to a close and we’ve reached the Eastern Conference play-in tournament as a pair of teams collide in the Windy City Wednesday night when the 10th-seeded Miami Heat face the ninth-seeded Chicago Bulls and we have you covered with our Heat vs. Bulls prediction. The winner earns a spot in Friday’s final play-in game with the eighth seed at stake and a first-round matchup with the Cavaliers: the loser will see their season come to an end. Miami fell 119-118 at home to Washington in their regular season finale Sunday, losing outright as an 8.5-point favorite. Chicago rolled to a 122-102 road win over Philadelphia Sunday, covering the line as an eight-point favorite, in their previous contest. In the all-time regular season series between the teams, the Bulls own a 68-64 advantage and took all three meetings this season, including a 119-111 home win in the most recent meeting on April 9. Read more about this Heat vs. Bulls prediction! When the going gets tough, our NBA Picks get winning!
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Miami Looking to Extend Season
Miami stumbled down the stretch of the regular season, dropping four of their last six, including a loss at home to Washington in their regular-season finale, to wind up on the road for this play-in tournament matchup. The Heat finished the year 37-45, third in the Southeast Division, four games behind the Magic for the top spot. Against Washington, Miami led by as many as seven in the opening quarter only to trail by two after the opening stanza. The Heat were down as many as 12 in the first half before cutting the margin to six at intermission. Miami trailed by as many as 12 in the second half and by seven with 4:04 to play before taking a 118-114 lead with 8.1 seconds to play. The Heat gave up a three-pointer, committed a backcourt violation and gave up a bucket at the buzzer to wind up with the loss. Miami shot 50% from the floor, including 10 of 32 from three-point range, and allowed Washington to shoot 51.1% in the game. Jaime Jaquez Jr. led the Heat with 41 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in the loss.
The Heat entered Tuesday 24th in the league in scoring offense with 110.6 points per game this season. Miami is 21st in the league in rebounding with 43.4 boards a contest while the team stands 14th in assists by dishing out 26.4 dimes a night. The Heat stands 7th in the league in scoring defense as they allow 110 points per game. Tyler Herro kicks in 23.9 points plus 5.2 boards and 5.5 assists a night while Bam Adebayo chips in 18.1 points plus 9.6 rebounds per contest. Duncan Robinson (11 points), Andrew Wiggins (18 points, 4.5 rebounds), Terry Rozier (10.6 points, 2.6 assists), Kevin Love, Jaime Jaquez Jr. (8.6 points), Nikola Jovic (10.7 points), Alec Burks, Pelle Larsson, Kel’el Ware, Davion Mitchell, Kyle Anderson and Haywood Highsmith are solid role players for the Heat. Miami is 18th in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 46.5% from the floor this season. The Heat stands 12th in threes per game by draining 13.7 triples per contest and the team is 11th in three-point shooting by hitting 36.7% from beyond the arc. Miami is above average at the free throw line, ranking 8th in the league by converting 79.1% of their chances this season.
Dru Smith (Achilles) was injured on December 22 against Brooklyn and is done for the season. Jovic (hand) was injured on February 23 and is out again here. Love (personal) last played March 21 while Larsson (ankle) last played April 7. For further injury updates, check for information ahead of tip-off as the Heat have yet to submit an updated injury report as of Tuesday afternoon.
Bulls Try to Live to See Another Day
Chicago closed the season with three straight wins and six wins in their last seven games as they downed the 76ers on the road in their regular season finale Sunday. The Bulls ended the year 39-43 and in the basement of the Central Division, 25 games behind the Cavaliers for the top spot. Against Philadelphia, Chicago was even after one quarter, trailed by as many as nine in the second quarter and by seven at intermission before getting on track. The Bulls outscored the 76ers 37-19 in the third quarter to take an 11-point edge and cruised home for the win. Chicago shot 45.6% from the floor, including 13 of 40 from three-point range, and owned a 59-48 advantage on the glass in the game. Kevin Huerter led the Bulls with 18 points in the win.
For the year, Chicago stands 6th in the league in scoring offense with an average of 117.8 points per contest. The Bulls are 3rd in rebounding as they collect an average of 45.9 boards a night while they are 5th in assists by handing out an average of 29.1 dimes per contest. Chicago is 28th in scoring defense as they allow an average of 119.4 points per game this season. Nikola Vucevic (18.7 points, 10.1 rebounds) and Ayo Dosunmu (12.3 points) are valuable options. Josh Giddey (14.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists), Coby White (20.4 points, 4.5 assists), Jalen Smith, Talen Horton-Tucker, Lonzo Ball, Julian Phillips, Dalen Terry, Kevin Huerter, Tre Jones, Zach Collins and Patrick Williams (nine points) are looked at to provide valuable minutes as well. As a team, Chicago is 15th in the league in field goal percentage as they knock down 47% of their shots on the year. The Bulls are 3rd in the league by knocking down 15.4 three-pointers per contest while they stand 12th by hitting 36.7% of their attempts from beyond the arc on the year. Chicago is an above-average team at the charity stripe as they are shooting 80.9% as a team on the year, putting them 3rd in the league.
Dosunmu (shoulder) last played February 28 and is out for the season. Jones (foot) last played March 20 and is out again in this game. Ball (wrist) last took the floor February 28 and is unlikely to take the floor in this contest. The team is optimistic that Giddey (forearm) will play in this contest.
Best Bets for Miami Heat vs. Chicago Bulls
Full-Game Side Bet
Insiders Status:
Chicago was strong down the stretch and their three wins over Miami made all the difference in home court for this contest. Miami was unable to really slow the Bulls down in those contests, giving up 122 points per game in the three meetings. That is 12 points per game worse than the Heat’s full-season average. While the Heat pivoted from Jimmy Butler, opting for the 1-2 punch of Herro and Adebayo, it hasn’t been a resounding success. Miami was 17-23 on the road this season and their offensive inconsistencies proved to be too much for them to overcome. Give the edge to Chicago at home.
Full-Game Total Pick
Insiders Status:
Miami has posted an average of 120.6 ppg in their last 10 games, 10.3 points per game above their full season mark, while allowing 108.2 ppg in that span. The Heat’s numbers in that span are inflated by a 153-point showing against a decimated Pelicans squad along with 120 and 118-point showings against Washington. Miami is 28th in tempo with 96.2 possessions a night while they are 21st in offensive efficiency. Chicago has gone over the number in four of their last five games. The Bulls have averaged 121.4 ppg in their last 10 games, 3.6 points above their season mark. Chicago plays at the second-fastest pace in the league, averaging 102.8 possessions per game, while ranking 20th in offensive efficiency. Two of the three meetings have gone over the number this season: look for Chicago to push the pace and generate enough offense to put this over the total.
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