NBA play-in preview and tips: Chicago Bulls at Miami Heat
- George Dempsey
- 14 April 2023
Miami Heat will have a second chance to reach the NBA playoffs on Friday evening when they host Chicago Bulls at Kaseya Center.
The Bulls surprised everyone when they rolled into Toronto and took down the Raptors in the first round of the play-in tournament. Chicago now travels to face Miami in an another tough matchup.
Equally, Miami were left shell-shocked as the Hawks beat them to advance to the NBA playoffs, despite a standout performance from Kyle Lowry (33 points).
Lowry wasn't backed up as well as you'd expect by Jimmy Butler, who had a relatively poor night by his standards. Butler made just six of his 19 shots as Miami were crushed on rebounds, 63-39.
The Heat will get a second chance against the Bulls and whilst the home side should have learned their lesson against Atlanta, the visitors won't go down without a fight.
Chicago have enjoyed themselves in Miami in past seasons, going 8-3ATS and winning there twice this season, 113-103 and 116-108.
Neither team ended the season in the best of form, but Chicago's play-in victory means they've now won their last three matches, and their defence has been on point throughout.
The Bulls held Toronto to 105, Detroit to 81, and a very dangerous Dallas offence to 112 in a narrow victory last week.
Whilst none of the previous six meetings were close, there's a different atmosphere to playoff basketball and a low-scoring affair is probable.
Miami are the second slowest team in the NBA whilst the Bulls also rank in the bottom half of the league for pace. Meetings between the two have averaged 213 points across the last 10 meetings.
Jimmy Butler is expected to play despite missing practice due to personal reasons on Friday, whilst Kyle Lowry is questionable after playing through a knee injury against Atlanta.
If Lowry doesn't suit up on Friday night then not only does it hurt the Heat's chances of winning, but it also reduces their scoring potential.
Standout Trends
Bulls are 17-5ATS as an underdog of 5-10.5 points.
Bulls are 8-3ATS in their last 11 road games against Miami.
Heat are 7-15ATS in their last 22 games as a favourite.
Heat are 3-14ATS against a team with a losing record.
Suggested Bets
Under 209.5
