Heat vs. Bulls picks: Predictions, odds for Wednesday NBA play-in tournament game
The Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat each finished with below .500 records during this NBA regular season, and it's unclear at this point if either would be better off being in the NBA draft lottery or being in possession of the Eastern Conference's No. 8 seed in the NBA playoffs.
This tug-of-war will be resolved on the court Wednesday night at the United Center in Chicago, when the two teams meet in a de facto elimination as part of the NBA's play-in tournament. If that sounds familiar, it should. This is the third year in a row the Bulls and Heat have faced one another in the play-in tournament, but the first time without Jimmy Butler in Miami.
The Heat (37-45) had to adjust their identity on the fly this season after trading Butler and retooling around Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo and Andrew Wiggins. They recovered enough from a brutal 10-game losing streak in March, culminating with a 124-103 win at the Boston Celtics on April 2 that showed the Heat could still be feisty this postseason.
The Bulls (39-43) had an intriguing finish to their season, winning 15 of their past 20 games over the past five weeks with the emergence of young players such as Coby White, Josh Giddey and rookie Matas Buzelis. The stretch included a 119-111 win over the Heat in Chicago on April 9. Every member of the Bulls starting lineup (which also featured guard Kevin Huerter and center Nikola Vucevic) scored at least 17 points in the game.
Oddsmakers expect the score to be close as the No. 9 seed Bulls host Wednesday's game vs. the No. 10 seed Heat. The winner between Chicago and Miami will play on the road against Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks on Friday for the No. 8 seed in the NBA playoffs bracket, and face the No. 1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers in the first-round series starting on Sunday.
Here's a look at some notable picks, predictions and odds ahead of the Miami Heat vs. Chicago Bulls play-in tournament game on Wednesday, April 16:
Bulls vs. Heat predictions: NBA Play-In Tournament picks
Paste BN: All but one expert picks Bulls
The Paste BN Sports NBA team favor Chicago in Wednesday's game, with reporters Jeff Zillgitt, Lorenzo Reyes and James Williams all picking the Bulls to beat the Heat. Paste BN Sports editor Heather Tucker did pick Miami to advance in the play-in tournament past Chicago.
Sportsbook Wire: Bulls 115, Heat 112
"The Bulls have shown to be a more well-rounded team as they battle in a Play-In game for the third season in a row. They have won 6 of their last 7 games and have covered the spread in 4 of their last 5 contests. While they may not have the most flashy line-up that is equipped for a deep playoff run, they have what it takes to move past this round on Wednesday."
ESPN: Bulls have 58.4% chance to win
The Bulls have a 58.4% chance to beat the Heat in their play-in tournament game based on ESPN's matchup predictor. Miami has a 41.6% chance to win.
Florida Times-Union: Heat beat the Bulls
"The Heat had quite a turbulent season. Between the Butler Saga and the questions about "Heat Culture" they've struggled to consistently win this year. But experience pays at this time of the year and the Heat handily win that battle. This is a team whose core was competing for an NBA championship less than three years ago."
The Oklahoman: Bulls 112, Heat 109
"The Bulls have great ball movement thanks in large part to Josh Giddey, who can find scorers such as Coby White and Nikola Vucevic. I trust their offense in an elimination game more than that of the Heat, who rank 25th in the NBA in points per game (110.1) since they shipped out Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline. Give me Chicago at home."
DraftKings Network: Bulls moneyline
"Neither team is great, but one is certainly more consistent lately than the other one is. Based on their form over the second half of the regular season, the Bulls have the makings of a team which can fight their way out of the play-in and into the playoffs."
Heat vs. Bulls odds
BetMGM odds as of 11:20 a.m. ET on Wednesday, April 16
- Spread: Bulls (-1.5)
- Moneyline: Heat (-105); Bulls (-115)
- Over/under: 219.5
How to watch Heat vs. Bulls: TV channel, live streaming for NBA play-in tournament
- Date: Wednesday, April 16
- Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
- Location: United Center (Chicago)
- TV: ESPN
- Streaming: Fubo (free trial for new subscribers)
Watch Heat vs. Bulls with Fubo