The 2024 NBA play-in tournament concludes Friday as we’ll get the eight-seed matchup in the Eastern Conference as the Chicago Bulls will visit the Miami Heat. The winner will advance to the playoff bracket to face the No. 1 Boston Celtics in the first round. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET and the game will air on ESPN.
Chicago survived the 9-10 play-in game on Wednesday, eliminating Atlanta in a 131-116 victory to keep its season alive for at least one more game. Coby White had himself a career night in the win, leading the Bulls with 42 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic also made big contributions as the team shot 56.8% from the field and led for virtually the entire game.
Miami now has its back against the wall after falling to Philadelphia in a 106-105 loss in Wednesday’s seven-seed game. The Heat saw their 12-point lead at halftime slip away as the 76ers caught back up in the fourth quarter and were able to slip past them for the win. Of course, the biggest story out of this game was Jimmy Butler suffering a sprained MCL that will keep him sidelined for several weeks.
This will be a rematch of last year’s eight-seed game in the East, a 102-91 victory for Miami that marked the start of its run to the NBA Finals. The Bulls and Heat split their regular season series 2-2, with all four games taking place before Christmas.
On the injury front, Butler (MCL sprain) is out for the Heat as well as Terry Rozier (neck). Tyler Herro (medial tendinitis) and Kevin Love (ankle) are both listed as available. For the Bulls, Alex Caruso (ankle), Ayo Dosunmu (quad), and Andre Drummond (ankle) are all listed as questionable.
Miami enters the game as a 1.5-point favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook, accompanied by a total of 205.5. The Heat are listed as a -125 moneyline favorite, making the Bulls a +105 underdog.
Bulls vs. Heat, 7 p.m. ET
Pick ATS: Bulls +1.5
Jimmy Butler’s injury looms large over this game, but it’s not like this is unfamiliar territory for this Miami team. The Heat are 13-9 without their leader on the floor this season and Bam Adebayo has done a nice job holding down the fort in his absence.
But I don’t know about this one man. The vibes around this Miami team are solemn in the aftermath of Butler’s injury/Wednesday’s loss and I don’t think it can #HeatCulture its way out of this one. On top of that, the Heat have shot under 45% in their last three games without Jimmy Buckets. Meanwhile, Chicago has plenty of confidence and momentum coming of its victory and there’s the extra motivating factor of revenge after it was eliminated by Miami one year ago. Give me the Bulls to win and pack their bags for Boston.
Over/Under: Over 205.5
Even if Chicago doesn’t shoot lights out like it did against Atlanta on Wednesday, 205.5 is an extremely low bar to clear. The Bulls are actually the third-most over-friendly team in the league at 46-36-1 and I think they can set the tone and produce enough to trigger it tonight.