Two Eastern Conference rivals collide this Friday night, as the Dwyane Wade-led Miami Heat take on the Chicago Bulls for the second game of their three-game road trip. This also marks the third meeting between these two clubs this season and the Heat have emerged triumphant in the previous two. Can they make it three-straight wins over the Bulls? Or will Chicago finally take them down?
Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of this intriguing matchup. And if you’re craving for more hoops action, check out our preview for the Portland Trail Blazers vs. Golden State Warriors.
[sc:NBA250 ]Ever since signing former All-Star Joe Johnson, the Miami Heat have considerably improved. They enter this bout against the Chicago Bulls having won four of their last five games. But this time around, the Heat are looking to bounce back from a tough 114-108 loss to Milwaukee on Wednesday night.
In that game, the pair of Luol Deng and Dwyane Wade was pretty efficient as they combined for 38 points, 14 rebounds and eight dimes despite the loss. Expect those two to try to replicate this performance or even put on a better one versus Bulls.
Wade, in particular, should have a better chance in doing so. He’s scored 18 or more points in his last five games, including a 27-point, 7-assist effort in a win over Phoenix on March 3. And also, Wade’s fared relatively well opposite the Bulls, averaging 21.5 points, 4.6 boards and 5.1 dimes across 42 career games.
Goran Dragic and Johnson, meanwhile, should be able to do some damage on offense as well for the Heat. In their previous five games, the two are tallying 18.0 and 13.8 points, respectively. It’ll be interesting to see, however, how much of a factor they can become against a Bulls defense that’s only giving up 99.6 points in its last three contests.
Speaking of defense, the Heat will put their trust on Hassan Whiteside to prevent any easy shots near the rim all game long. Whiteside has been doing a tremendous job in doing just that as he currently leads the league in blocks with 3.9 a game. He also finished with 26 points, 14 boards and four blocks during their first meeting with the Bulls this season.
Miami is 7-3 SU and ATS in its past 10 games on the road.
For Chicago, meanwhile, life’s been very tough without their all-around forward in Jimmy Butler, who continues to sit out games due to his ailing left knee. The Bulls really missed him during last night’s loss (109-101), as they just couldn’t muster enough points down the stretch to beat San Antonio.
Well, the Bulls need to keep moving forward and stay optimistic until Butler comes back. Up next on their schedule is a trip back home to the United Center, where they will square off with the visiting Miami Heat. This will also mark the third regular-season meeting for both clubs and Miami has won the first two.
In order for the Bulls to avoid losing three-straight to their conference rivals, they need to take care of the ball. Yes, they’ve been scoring enough points even without Butler, but their offense has suffered lately because of unnecessary mistakes. Chicago’s committed a total of 64 turnovers in its previous three games heading into this matchup.
On offense, the Bulls should be able to get the usual productions from Derrick Rose (16.7 PPG) and Pau Gasol (17.1 PPG). The two are put up 21 points apiece in the loss to San Antonio. But besides them, E’Twaun Moore could be in for another solid outing in this one. He contributed 20 points on 8-for-12 shooting in the same game.
Chicago is 1-9 SU and 3-7 ATS in its previous 10 home games.
Writer’s Prediction
The Heat win, but they’ll fail to cover the spread if Jimmy Butler plays.
