Pre-Gamin’: Heat at Bulls (7:00 CT) — Lineups, Odds, Broadcast Info, Game Thread

Thanks to the New York Knicks sucking earlier today and allowing the Cleveland Cavaliers to crush them, a Bulls victory tonight would not officially clinch a playoff series. However, they could still bring their magic number down to just 1 if they can muster their fist victory over Miami this season.

Game Info

Miami Heat (49-28) at Chicago Bulls (45-32) – 7:00 p.m. CT on NBC Sports Chicago (TV) and 670 The Score (Radio)

Projected Starters

Chicago Bulls

1. Alex Caruso
2. Zach LaVine
3. DeMar DeRozan
4. Javonte Green
5. Nikola Vucevic

Injury Report: Lonzo Ball OUT (knee), Zach LaVine PROBABLE (knee)

Miami Heat

1. Kyle Lowry
2. Max Strus
3. Jimmy Butler
4. PJ Tucker
5. Bam Adebayo

Injury Report: Max Strus QUESTIONABLE (shoulder), Gabe Vincent QUESTIONABLE (toe), Caleb Martin QUESTIONABLE (calf)

Odds

The Bulls walk into tonight as +2.5 underdogs against the Miami Heat at PointsBet Illinois Sportsbook and at a +2 underdog at the FanDuel Illinois Sportsbook. Click on either link to sign up and pick the Bulls to cover (… or pick the opposite, I guess …)!

In case The Final Four will be on the split-screen … 

What to Watch For …

•   Bam Adebayo could be due for a big-time game against this Bulls team. The All-Star center only mustered 8 points with 7 rebounds when these two met in December, and things weren’t a whole lot better in February when he scored 15 points with another 7 boards. Of course, his greatest value rests on the defensive end (and the Heat still won both contests), but those were still two of his calmer nights this season across the board.

•   For whatever reason, Jimmy Butler has not been getting to the free-throw line as much as we’re used to in recent weeks. While he still sits 4th in the league in attempts per game with nearly 8.0 a game, he’s shot just about 6.0 a night over the past seven contests, failing to shoot more than four in four games.

•   The Bulls bench has done a slightly better job contributing on the offensive end of the past few games, and they will undoubtedly have to do the same tonight. Not only does Miami have a 20-point per game scorer in Tyler Herro as part of their second unit, but sharpshooter Duncan Robinson has also taken on a bench role the past couple of games. A big-time performance from Coby White would be a big help, and perhaps Patrick Williams can continue to build on his impressive double-double performance we saw against the Clippers.

•   More in here …

written by

Elias Schuster is the Lead Chicago Bulls writer at Bleacher Nation. He started with BN full-time in 2019 immediately after graduating from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign with a degree in Journalism (yes, he started with the Jim Boylen Era). Since joining, Elias has been the driving force behind Bulls and NBA content for both the site and social accounts. You can follow him on Twitter/X @Schuster_Elias.

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