NBA Play-In: Predicting Miami Heat vs. Chicago Bulls

The NBA Play-In Tournament is set to conclude on Friday night. Before the Philadelphia 76ers kick off the NBA Playoffs on Saturday night, the eighth seed in each conference needs to be finalized.

For the Eastern Conference, the Chicago Bulls and the Miami Heat will battle it out for the final seed in the bracket. Although the Heat entered the Play-In as the East’s highest possible seed, they came up short against the Atlanta Hawks.

With the Hawks clinching the seventh seed in the NBA Playoffs, the Heat were forced to play the loser of the Bulls-Raptors matchup. Although Toronto led by double digits for the majority of Wednesday’s game, the Bulls formed a comeback and secured the win.

Now, the Bulls and the Heat will participate in a do-or-die matchup on Friday night in South Beach.

This season, Chicago has had a ton of success against Miami. When the two teams met in October, the Bulls secured a 116-108 win. When they had a rematch in late December, the Bulls secured a double-digit win. Then in mid-March, the Bulls snagged their third-straight victory over the Heat with a 113-99 win.

Will they make it four in a row and secure a series against the Milwaukee Bucks? Or will the Miami Heat break the trend and book their ticket to the playoffs?

Game Details

Miami Heat vs. Chicago Bulls

Date: Friday, April 14, 2023

Time: 7:00 PM ET

Location: Kaseya Center

How to Watch

TV Broadcast: TNT

Live Stream: Click Here

Game Odds

Spread: Heat -5.5

Moneyline: MIA -213, CHI +175

Total O/U: 208.5

*All Odds are Provided by SI Sportsbook

Prediction

Spread: Bulls +5.5

Moneyline: MIA -213

Total O/U: OVER 208.5

Eastern Conference Playoff Standings

1. Milwaukee Bucks

2. Boston Celtics

3. Philadelphia 76ers

4. Cleveland Cavaliers

5. New York Knicks

6. Brooklyn Nets

7. Atlanta Hawks

8. Miami Heat or Chicago Bulls