The Chicago Bulls head to AmericanAirlines Arena to take on the Miami Heat. The game starts at 8:00 pm ET on Thursday, Apr. 9 and will air on TNT and WPWR.
The Heat beat the Hornets 105-100 on Tuesday. Goran Dragic led all scorers with 28 points on 10-for-16 shooting. The Bulls, meanwhile, are coming off a 99-94 loss to the Cavaliers on Sunday. Mike Dunleavy had a team-high 24 points.
The two teams have split their matchups this season. The Heat had the upper hand in the most recent game, a 96-84 win. Hassan Whiteside played a huge role in the victory with a triple-double, with 14 points, 13 rebounds and 12 blocks.
Oddsmakers have deemed this game an even matchup and the Over/Under (O/U) is currently unavailable. The Heat enter the game with records of 35-43 Straight Up (SU) and 34-41-3 Against The Spread (ATS). In their last 10 games, they are 2-8 ATS.
Across the court, the Bulls head into the game with records of 36-41 ATS and 46-31 SU. In Eastern Conference games, Chicago has gone 29-18 SU and 23-24 ATS. Chicago is one of the top foul-shooting teams in the league, converting .785 of their shots from the line. The Bulls are a force on the boards, grabbing an average of 45.6 rebounds per game. Chicago’s three-point defense is one of the top in the league, with opponents making only 6.5 shots from the three-point line per game.
Following the Heat’s latest win over Chicago, their SU record rises to 7-3 over the Bulls in the last 10 meetings. Additionally, the Heat lead the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, Chicago held the edge in all three of these categories three times in the last 10 meetings. Miami never did so in those games.
Predictions: SU Winner – CHI, ATS Winner – CHI
Notes
Chicago ranks 14th in points per game with 100.7, while Miami ranks seventh in points allowed with an average of 97.3 given up.
Chicago and Miami are well matched, ranking 13th in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. Chicago puts up an average of 99.5 points on the road, while Miami allows 98.0 points at home on average.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Bulls are 32-11 on the season. When the Heat score fewer than 100, they are a losing 13-36.
Chicago is 14-20 when allowing 100 or more points this season. The Heat have a stellar 22-7 record when hitting triple digits.
The Heat have a defensive rating of 104.2 (ranked 21st), while the Bulls rank 10th for their offensive rating of 104.5.
Ranked 10th in the NBA, Miami has an average field goal percentage of 45.7%. Chicago is 12-17 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
On average, the Miami Heat attempt 20.3 three point field goals per game and the Chicago Bulls attempt 22.0 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 threes, Miami has a losing record of 4-8, while Chicago is 11-15.
The Miami Heat rank 25th with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.43. The Chicago Bulls have a higher A/TO (1.65), ranking 13th.
Chicago ranks third among all teams in rebounding, placing the team near the top of the league (45.6 per game). Miami, however, ranks 30th with 38.8 rebounds per game.
Miami is ranked 28th in defensive rebounds, while Chicago ranks seventh in offensive rebounds.
On average, the Heat force a turnover rate of 15.3%, ranked seventh in the NBA. When the Bulls turn over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a solid 16-9 record.
