The Miami Heat travel to Chicago to take on the Bulls on Wednesday night. The winner of this elimination game advances to the final round of the play-in tournament on Friday. The winner of Friday’s game will be the number 8 seed in the Eastern Conference. That team will face off against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
Chicago has the better regular season record coming into this game, having finished the season 39-43. This is not only 2 games better than the Heat’s 37-45 record, but the Bulls are also 8-2 in their last 10 games. The loser of this game will have to play again on Friday in the final elimination game of the play-in tournament.
Miami Heat vs. Chicago Bulls Odds
| Team | Spread | Total | Moneyline |
| Miami Heat | +1 (-115) | O 218.5 (-110) | +100 |
| Chicago Bulls | -1 (+105) | U 218.5 (-110) | -120 |
| **Odds Subject to Change** |
Miami Heat vs. Chicago Bulls Match Details
- Date and Time: Wednesday, April 16, 2025 @ 7:30 pm EST
- Location: United Center – Chicago, IL
Miami Heat Hopes ‘Heat Culture’ Is The Difference Maker
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The Miami Heat come into this game with the hope of making it a defensive battle, where savvy coaching makes the difference. While Tyler Herro has averaged 24.7 points per game against the Bulls this season, the Heat lost all three contests. Truthfully, it’s a bit surprising to me personally to see the spread so close with the Heat going on the road in this one. The Heat will need to find a way to slow down the high-powered Bulls offense. Miami has the seventh-ranked scoring defense in the league this regular season and defense does tend to play more of a factor in the postseason.
Miami also has the advantage in terms of playoff experience. The tale of the tape between these two teams doesn’t look great for Miami. All three regular season games saw a total of over 225 points and this is also below the expected point total set by the oddsmakers for this game. If Miami can keep the score of this game down and lean on their experience to make the right decisions in the clutch they could score a ticket out of the play-in tournament and into the eighth seed.
Chicago’s Speedy Offense A Safe Bet At Home
I’ve already stated the obvious that Chicago won all three of the regular season meetings between these two teams. It is possible that oddsmakers are trying to lay a trap for bettors looking to back the more popular Heat. Chicago holds all of the on-paper advantages, but the biggest of which is on the offensive side of the ball. Miami’s defense is good, but they have only averaged 110.5 points per game since parting ways with Jimmy Butler at the NBA Trade Deadline.
Analytics give the Chicago Bulls a 60% chance of winning, making the moneyline on Chicago one of the safest plays of the play-in tournament so far. Since acquiring Josh Giddey from the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Bulls have been propelling up the Eastern Conference rankings at a steady pace. It’s a little too risky for me to bet against them.
Final Pick
Chicago Bulls to cover & Over 218.5 (+258)
