After defeating the Atlanta Hawks 131-116 on Wednesday night, the Chicago Bulls have given themselves one more shot to make the playoffs via the NBA Play-In Tournament. Originally finishing the season as the 9-seed in the East, the Bulls are now set to take on the Miami Heat for the rights to the 8-seed and a date with the 64-win Boston Celtics in the first round. However, injuries continue to pile up for both teams. The Heat are set to be without Jimmy Butler due to a MCL injury, and Bulls defensive guard Alex Caruso left their previous game against the Hawks early due to an ankle sprain.
This injury occurred to Caruso when Andre Drummond plowed right through him after not seeing him around the half-court line. Caruso immediately went down, grabbing at his ankle in pain before heading to the Bulls' bench. In a total of 13 minutes, the 30-year-old guard had just three points and a rebound.
There have been a lot of question marks surrounding Caruso's status for this win-or-go-home game for the Bulls. Although he was forced to leave Wednesday's game early, it seems like the All-Defensive guard will suit up against the Heat. In fact, Caruso told reporters on Friday morning that he expects to play against Miami in the 8-seed play-in game, according to ESPN's Jamal Collier.
The more bodies the Bulls have, the better in this matchup. Without Butler and Terry Rozier as well, the Heat are going to be spreading the ball around on offense and primarily playing through Tyler Herro in the backcourt. Caruso and his defensive abilities are extremely important to their success, especially since he will be the team's primary defender in this game.
With Caruso healthy, the Bulls' chances of advancing to the playoffs have definitely increased.
Bulls to face shorthanded Heat
The Heat have always been known for their depth and perseverance, no matter who is injured. This season, Miami has constantly had to battle through new lineup changes due to injuries, and this same theme has continued into the play-in tournament. After Rozier missed their first game against the Philadelphia 76ers, Butler will now join the guard on the Heat's injury report heading into a critical matchup with the Bulls.
On the other side of things, the Bulls having Caruso available puts them in the driver's seat for this matchup in South Beach.
The Bulls won two of three games against the Heat this season when Caruso played, and he has been an instrumental part of them finding defensive success late in the year. Caruso always accepts the challenge of guarding the opposing team's best player, which is why he will be hounding Herro on Friday night with Butler sidelined.
With Caruso putting in work defensively, the Bulls' offense should remain red-hot. DeMar DeRozan, Coby White, and Ayo Dosunmu combined for 83 points against the Hawks, and the Bulls have scored at least 120 points in three of their last four games.
The Bulls have a lot of confidence entering this 8-seed play-in game against the Heat, which is why Caruso returning to the rotation may just be what they need to get back to the playoffs.
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