The Miami Heat welcome the Chicago Bulls to AmericanAirlines Arena. The game starts at 8:00 pm ET on Thursday, Apr. 7 and can be seen on TNT and WGN.
The Heat enter this game hoping for similar success after thoroughly outplaying the Pistons 107-89 on Tuesday. Goran Dragic was the game’s leading scorer with 22 points on 9-for-15 shooting. The Bulls, meanwhile, are coming off a 108-92 loss at the hands of the Grizzlies on Tuesday. Nikola Mirotic had a team-high 20 points.
Mirotic has upped his play over the last five games for the Bulls, averaging 20.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.6 blocks, and 4.6 three-pointers.
Scoring opportunities from the charity stripe may be sporadic for the Bulls in this one. They’re 29th in the league in free throw attempt rate (23.6), while Miami is among the NBA’s least foul-prone teams (yielding a rate of 25.1, ranking fifth overall).
The Heat have won all three games against the Bulls this season, including a 118-96 blowout in their last matchup. Dragic scored a game-high 26 points.
The Heat are hoping to build on their records of 45-32 Straight Up (SU) and 40-36-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 45-32 SU and 40-36-1 ATS versus the Eastern Conference. The Miami defense has been very good, only giving up 98.3 points per game. The Heat prevent teams from making three-pointers, ranking third in the league with 580 total three-pointers allowed (7.0 per game). The Heat are the top team in the league at blocking shots, averaging 6.6 blocks per game.
Across the court, the Bulls have a record of 33-44 ATS and 39-38 SU. Against the Eastern Conference, Chicago is 39-38 SU and 33-44 ATS.
In their previous meeting this season, Miami beat Chicago, bringing its SU record to 6-4 over the Bulls in the last 10 games. With a 6-4 record, the Heat also have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Mia
Notes
On average, Chicago puts up 101.2 points per game (ranked 21st), while Miami gives up 98.3 points per game (ranked fourth).
Chicago scores 101.0 points per away game, ranking 14th in the league. Miami allows just 97.9 points per home game (ranked fourth).
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Heat are 34-10 on the season. When the Bulls score fewer than 100, they are an underachieving 12-23.
The Miami Heat have a subpar 11-22 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Chicago Bulls are 27-16 when they hit triple digits.
The Bulls have a defensive rating of 104.1 (ranked 14th). The Heat rank 11th for their offensive rating of 104.8.
Miami averages fewer possessions per game than Chicago, with 95.3 compared to 99.2. However, the Heat score an average of 1.048 points per possession, more than the 1.021 that the Bulls score.
The Miami Heat average an effective field goal percentage of 50.7% this season. The Chicago Bulls have an abysmal record of 3-17 when opponents have an EFF% of 50.7% or greater.
On average, the Miami Heat attempt 17.0 three point field goals per game and the Chicago Bulls attempt 21.0 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 threes, both teams have losing records; Miami is 1-4 and Chicago is 7-11.
Miami has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.57 this season (ranked 19th). Chicago ranks higher with an A/TO of 1.70 (ranked 11th).
With 46.4 per game, Chicago ranks near the top of the NBA for rebounds at second. Miami ranks 13th with 44.1.
Miami is ranked sixth in defensive rebounds, while Chicago ranks eighth in offensive rebounds.
The Miami Heat’s opponents have an average turnover percentage of 12.9% this season. The Chicago Bulls are 20-23 SU when their TOV% is 12.9% or higher.
