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The Miami Heat will pay a visit to Chicago to take on the Bulls on Saturday. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our NBA odds series, which includes our Heat-Bulls prediction, odds, and pick we have laid out below.
The Heat seem to have broken out of their funk as they took down the best team in the NBA since the All-Star break, the Boston Celtics, 106-98, this past Wednesday. Jimmy Butler led the way with 24 points, while Kyle Lowry added 23 points and eight assists. Bam Adebayo had a near-triple-double with 17 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists. Miami has now won two in a row after losing four straight.
Meanwhile, the Bulls got a huge 135-130 win on Thursday over the L.A. Clippers led by a scintillating 50-point performance from DeMar DeRozan. While DeRozan had the spotlight, Nikola Vucevic and Zach LaVine also played huge in Chicago's come-from-behind effort. Vucevic dropped 22 points and 14 rebounds, while LaVine added 21 points of his own.
Here is how FanDuel has set the Heat-Bulls NBA odds for this Saturday's NBA matchup.
NBA odds: Heat–Bulls Odds
Miami Heat: -2 (-110)
Chicago Bulls: +2 (-110)
Over: 216.5 (-110)
Under: 216.5 (-110)
Why the Heat could cover the spread
As mentioned, it seems like Miami (49-28) has gotten over their struggles from the previous week. There was a bit of turmoil within the Heat, which was magnified by Jimmy Butler and Udonis Haslem's in-game spat versus the Warriors on March 23. But with a huge win over a red-hot Celtics team, it looks like they have found their form again. The victory brought them back to the top spot in the East standings.
Caleb Martin (calf), Max Strus (shoulder contusion), and Gabe Vincent (big toe) are all questionable on the Heat's injury report. While those three have stepped in to play solid roles for Miami all season, the Heat will have all their big guns in Butler, Lowry, Adebayo, and Herro available.
It's also worth noting that Miami has won all of its three games versus Chicago this season. And they've won the last two via double-digits.
The Heat do have one of the better ATS records in the league at 42-34. They are 22-16 on the road and own a 31-16 record against the East, which tops the conference.
Why the Bulls could cover the spread
The Bulls are coming off a spirited and uplifting victory over the L.A. Clippers, led by a masterful performance from DeMar DeRozan. They should be feeling good heading into the matchup against a team they have yet to conquer this season.
Nonetheless, the knock-on Chicago has been their season-long struggle against teams with a winning record. They are just 22-22 versus teams over .500. Against the spread, the Bulls are 42-35, which is relatively similar to Miami's.
After spending a good chunk of the season atop the East, the Bulls have fallen to 5th in the standings and are in danger of even dropping to 6th. With that, there could be more sense of urgency on Chicago's part to finish the season strong.
Injury-wise, only Lonzo Ball is listed as out as he continues to recover from a torn meniscus. Zach LaVine is listed as probable due to a sore left knee, but he has played the last 10 games for the Bulls. With that said, Chicago should relatively be in full strength.
Final Heat–Bulls Prediction & Pick
The Heat should be the pick here. They are coming off a massive win over one of the hottest teams in the East. In addition, the Bulls' struggles versus elite teams are well-documented.
Final Heat–Bulls Prediction & Pick: Heat: -2 (-110)
