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The Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls will face off tomorrow night in Chicago in the 2025 Play-In Tournament. This showdown features a Miami squad with plenty of playoff experience and the edge in talent that will need to be enough to win two road games. The Chicago Bulls have won all three matchups against the Heat this season but still have a tough test as a remade team after finally trading Zach LaVine.
Let’s dive into this matchup while recapping both teams’ seasons and making a game pick for tomorrow night’s game.
The Heat have all the experience in the world with head coach Erik Spoelstra plus Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo, who are battle-tested and likely the two best players on the floor at any given time among players not named Josh Giddey. Miami has been an incredibly streaky team over the last two months as they found themselves at 29-41 at the end of March, thanks to a 10-game losing streak. Next, the Heat peeled off a six-game winning streak but backslid into the Play-In Tournament as losers of four of their last six.
On the offensive side, the Heat haven’t lit the world on fire. After trading Jimmy Butler, Miami is just 25th in the NBA in points per game (110.1), and the team relies more on their defensive prowess than their offensive capabilities. They’re one of the slower-paced teams in the league, with the fourth-lowest rate of possessions at just 97.1 per 48 minutes. As a veteran-filled squad featuring players like Alec Burks, Andrew Wiggins, Duncan Robinson, Terry Rozier and other role players, the Heat have the playoff experience despite the recent streakiness to make some noise.
The backcourt of Josh Giddey and Coby White has been hugely productive and will be one of the most critical factors for the Bulls if they win on their home floor and move on. The Bulls have been one of the best teams in the NBA since March, going 16-7 to get here from a 24-36 record at the end of February. On that road, they defeated Miami and the LA Lakers twice, the Pacers and the Nuggets.
The Bulls have a youth-laden roster, but boy, is it talented. Giddey makes everybody around him better and is just 22. Matas Buzelis is only 20 and has improved his shot-blocking and defense immensely with a burgeoning offensive game. White has been an awesome scorer over the last two months and boosts this Bulls’ squad. Pairing the youth with veterans like Nikola Vucevic, Kevin Huerter and Zach Collins has been a great mix for a team searching for an identity after trading LaVine at the trade deadline.
With the upcoming showdown between the Heat and Bulls, a lot of eyes are on the injury report for the Bulls. A wrist injury for Giddey makes him a bit of a question mark for tomorrow’s game against the Heat. He did not play in Chicago’s season finale against the 76ers on Sunday, but the team is optimistic that he’ll play. Over the last 19 games, Giddey has averaged 21.2 points, 10.7 rebounds and 9.7 assists.
Not having Giddey in tow would lengthen an advantage for the Heat. In a game where both teams are even, we’ll look to Bam Adebayo of the Heat for our pick. Adebayo did not play in Sunday’s finale against the Wizards, but he’s well-rested for tomorrow’s game. Throughout this season, Adebayo has been productive, averaging 23.8 points, 8.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game in the Heat’s final quintet of games.
With Adebayo being a huge focal point for the Heat, expect him to establish a formidable presence and lead the charge for this Heat team in the Play-In Tournament.
Kevin has been writing about sports since 2015 with a primary focus on fantasy football. His work has been featured on outlets like Matthew Berry's Fantasy Life, FantasyPros, Sports Illustrated, RotoBaller, Fantasy Alarm, and numerous other fantasy websites. As a native New Yorker now living in the Midwest, Kevin counts the Green Bay Packers, New York Yankees and Syracuse Orange as his favorite teams.