Chicago Bulls (16-18) vs Miami Heat (18-18)
Game Info: Friday, March 12, 2021 at 9:00 pm (United Center)
Betting Odds: Chicago Bulls +2.5 -- Over/Under: Click Here for the Latest Odds
The Chicago Bulls play host to the Miami Heat at the United Center on Friday night.
The Miami Heat have been on a tear as they’ve won eight of their past nine games and they will be aiming for a third straight win after last night’s 111-103 home win over the Magic. Jimmy Butler led the team with 27 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists, Kelly Olynyk added 20 points while Tyler Herro chipped in with 17 points and five assists off the bench. As a team, the Heat shot 45 percent from the field and 16 of 49 from the 3-point line as they fought hard to lead by just one point midway through the fourth quarter, before going on a pivotal 8-0 run to pull away late.
Meanwhile, the Chicago Bulls have been in a bit of a rut as they’ve lost three of their last four games and they will be hoping to bounce back after last night’s 127-105 home loss to the shorthanded 76ers. Lauri Markkanen led the team with 23 points on eight of 11 shooting, Zach LaVine added 19 points with seven assists, while Coby White chipped in with 18 points. As a team, the Bulls shot 47 percent from the field and 14 of 29 from the 3-point line as they got off to a slow start in the first quarter, before getting blown out in the second half by 63-48 as they had no answer for the 76ers who were missing their two best players in Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.
Looking at the betting trends, the Heat are 4-0 ATS in their last four road games, 4-1 ATS in their last five games against a team with a losing record and 7-1 ATS in their last eight games overall. The Bulls are 4-1 ATS in their last five games playing on zero days’ rest and 9-2 ATS in their last 11 home games against a team with a losing road record.
Head to head, the Heat are 8-2 ATS in the last 10 meetings in Chicago.
The Heat are coming into this one with plenty of momentum as they’ve won eight of their last nine, but they will again be without Bam Adebayo and Avery Bradley. The Bulls have a long list of injuries themselves and they must be low on confidence after getting blown out by the shorthanded 76ers last night. With the line so short, this one is an easy pick for me as the Heat are 8-2 ATS in the last 10 meetings in Chicago and I think they should be good enough to escape with the win here.