Miami Heat at Chicago Bulls Tips & Live Stream - Bulls break their Play-In curse in NBA

With memories of past heartbreaks still fresh, the big question looms — can the Bulls carry their strong end-of-season form into this win-or-go-home clash, or are we in for yet another chapter of Miami’s play-in dominance over Chicago?

The Chicago Bulls have gone through major roster changes compared to previous seasons. Over the summer, they lost DeMar DeRozan, who was traded to the Sacramento Kings, and during this season, another key player, Zach LaVine, also joined his former teammate in California.

This gave other Bulls players a chance to step up, get more playing time, and show what they can do. The one who benefited the most was Coby White, who was named Eastern Conference Player of the Month for March after averaging 27.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists during that stretch.

Josh Giddey also took on a bigger role offensively and hit top form late in the regular season, averaging nearly a triple-double — 20 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists — over five games in April.

With strong support from veteran Nikola Vucevic, who’s having a great season himself, reliable shooter Kevin Huerter, and the improving rookie Matas Buzelis, the Bulls are hoping to clear their first play-in hurdle and then take on the winner of the Orlando Magic vs. Atlanta Hawks matchup for a shot at the 8th seed in the playoffs.

Miami Heat Form & Team News

The Miami Heat are coming off a disappointing regular season, finishing 10th in the Eastern Conference with a 37–45 record.

They’ve been in a similar spot the past two seasons, managing to reach the playoffs through the play-in — and even making it to the NBA Finals in 2022/23 — but back then they had the X-factor in Jimmy Butler, who has since decided to move on and leave the team.

His replacement, Andrew Wiggins, struggled with injuries for most of his time in Miami, and other players who were expected to step up, like Bam Adebayo, didn’t quite live up to expectations.

On the bright side, Tyler Herro had the best season of his career, earning a well-deserved All-Star appearance, but overall it still wasn’t enough for the team to finish higher than 10th in the standings.

Heading into the upcoming game, the Heat will be short-handed without Nikola Jovic, who is still recovering from a broken hand, as well as Kevin Love and Pelle Larsson.

Head to Head

The Chicago Bulls won all three matchups against the Miami Heat this season. In their most recent meeting, played just a week ago, they came out on top with a 119–111 victory, led by a monstrous triple-double from Josh Giddey, who posted 28 points, 16 rebounds, and 11 assists.