It’s a do-or-die game for the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat on Friday night as they meet in the final Eastern Conference play-in tournament game with the winner advancing to face No. 1 Milwaukee this weekend. The Heat are favoured on the NBA odds.
Bulls vs. Heat Play-In Tournament | 2023 NBA Expert Analysis
How to Bet Toronto at Miami NBA Odds & TV Info
When: Friday, 7 PM ET
Where: Kaseya Center
TV: TNT
Stream: TNT app
Radio: Tunein.com
NBA Odds: Heat -5 (total 209.5)
Season Series
The Bulls were 3-0 vs. Miami in the regular season. The teams played last on March 18 in Chicago and the Bulls prevailed 113-99. DeMar DeRozan scored 24 points and shot 9-for-12 from the floor. Coby White made four 3-pointers and finished with 18 points, Zach LaVine also had 18 and Patrick Beverley added 17 as the Bulls shot 56.3% (45 for 80) from the field overall, including 17 for 34 from 3-point range. The Heat, who trailed by as many as 27, got 23 points each from Jimmy Butler and Nikola Vucevic. Kyle Lowry didn’t play.
Why Bet on Chicago?
The Bulls closed as 6-point underdogs Wednesday in Toronto but ended the Raptors’ season with a 109-105 comeback win led by 39 points, seven rebounds and three assists from Zach LaVine. After scoring nine points in the first half, LaVine took over in the third quarter. He scored 17 points in the frame, and another 13 in the fourth helped the Bulls become the first 10-seed to win a game in the play-in tournament (1-4). They trailed by 16 late in the third quarter.
“Just be aggressive and get it close before the fourth quarter,” LaVine said about his 11 straight points to close the third quarter after the Bulls had trailed 77-63 with about two and a half minutes remaining. Toronto missed 18 of 36 free throws in the game and two of three with 12 seconds left to tie when Alex Caruso fouled Pascal Siakam on a three.
DeMar DeRozan had 23 points and seven rebounds, and Nikola Vucevic 14 points, 13 rebounds and four assists. In three regular-season meetings against the Heat, Vucevic averaged 19.0 points, 13.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.3 blocks and shot 63.2% from the field and 100% from the foul line.
Chicago’s defense, which ranked fifth in the league during the regular season, put huge pressure on the Raptors in the second half. After getting easy looks in the first half, Toronto had to work a lot harder to find even decent looks, especially from 3-point range. Toronto finished the first half shooting 42.1% from 3-point range, and the number dropped to 25% after halftime.
Coach Billy Donovan essentially said to disregard what happened in the regular season against Miami. With a chance to earn the eighth seed and face the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the NBA playoffs, Friday is a new game.
“We know going there it’s another great road test against a team that’s seasoned and coming off a loss. They’ll look to rebound and play to their identity and style,” Donovan said. “We have a lot to get ready for. There are things we can take from those three games, but those are over now. This is a new challenge.”
Bet Bulls to Win Today
MyBookie Betting Lines for the Game
Why Bet on Miami?
The Heat closed as 5-point favorites on Tuesday vs. Atlanta but were upset 116-105 to be pushed to this game with the season on the line. Miami lost despite a shocking 33 points off the bench from Kyle Lowry, who is way past his prime these days. The last time Lowry scored more points than he did in this game was in May 2021, which was his final game with the Toronto Raptors. The Heat trailed by 24 points in the first half, but they pulled within six points in the fourth quarter.
Jimmy Butler always raises his game in the playoffs and had 21 points, nine assists and four rebounds. Butler, who tallied 10 points in both the first and third quarters, has tallied at least 20 points and five assists in four straight games overall. Tyler Herro had 26 points and six rebounds and has tallied at least 25 points and five rebounds on 14 occasions this year.
Starting point guard Gabe Vincent left Tuesday’s game with 7:40 left in the first quarter and didn’t return due to an undisclosed injury. Vincent tallied six points, three rebounds and two assists in 24 minutes before a collision with Sadiq Bey sent him to the locker room. If Vincent’s injury keeps him out Friday, Lowry and Victor Oladipo should see extended minutes with Lowry likely back in the starting lineup.
The Heat struggled mightily at the rim against Atlanta’s size as they shot just 4-of-12 in the restricted area on Tuesday. The Hawks, meanwhile, had a whopping 64 points in the paint. Miami also shot poorly from the 3-point line, was outrebounded badly and struggled defensively against the Hawks backcourt of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray.
“At least we have a lot of experience,” Coach Erik Spoelstra said after Tuesday’s dispiriting loss. “We’ve had a lot of ups and downs. Nothing about this season has been easy, so we’re going to do this the hard way. We’re going to get back to work, regroup, put our arms around each other, get to the film and get better from this.”
Tuesday’s game was a rematch of the first round of last season’s playoffs where the Heat won the series in five games. More recently, Miami won three of four regular season meetings and boasted an 11-1 record in its last 12 regular and postseason home games against Atlanta, including seven consecutive wins.
Bet Heat to Win Today
MyBookie Betting Lines for the Game
Game Trends
- Bulls are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 Friday games.
- Bulls are 6-2-1 ATS in their last 9 road games.
- Heat are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 home games.
- Heat are 1-8 ATS in their last 9 games following a straight up loss of more than 10 points.
- Bulls are 8-3 ATS in the last 11 meetings in Miami.
Expert Prediction
Heat 108, Bulls 106
NBA Top 10 Plays Of The Play-In Tournament Series | April 12, 2023
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