Get ready for a promising night of NBA basketball, as two Eastern Conference heavyweights in the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls lock horns at the United Center. Who will come away with the victory in this one? Can the Heat finally stop the bleeding? Or will the Bulls stay on the winning track?
[sc:NBA250 ]Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of this showdown. And if you’re craving for more hoops action, check out our preview of the Spurs at Warriors and T-Wolves at Cavaliers.
[sc:NBA240banner ]What the heck is happening with the Miami Heat? They march into this matchup with absolutely zero momentum on their side. The Heat have lost seven of their last eight games and are currently on a four-game slide. In that losing stretch, their offense has been clearly struggling, averaging just 80.3 points on 41.7 percent shooting.
The Heat will try once again to finally get it going and ultimately right their ship when they go mano-a-mano with the Chicago Bulls at the United Center this evening. Miami is 3-7 SU and 4-6 ATS in its last 10 games on the road.
For them to get the victory here, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade need to come alive and lead the charge from the get go. Both players are tallying almost 20 points apiece this season but Wade, in particular, continues to struggle with consistency due to health issues.
Speaking of health issues, the Heat also might have to play again without two of their starters in Goran Dragic (calf) and Hassan Whiteside (oblique), who are both dealing with their own injuries. If that’s the case, Miami’s bench (17.2 PPG) has got to provide the points.
Their promising youngsters in Tyler Johnson (8.9 PPG) and Justise Winslow (5.4 PPG) need to wear their big-boy pants later. They’ll be testing a Chicago defense that’s allowing 101.0 PPG this campaign.
Before embarking on their long seven-game road trip, the Chicago Bulls will look to garner up more momentum against the visiting Miami Heat tonight.
The Bulls are fresh off a resounding 13-point win over Cleveland on Saturday night, during which the pair of Jimmy Butler and Pau Gasol did most of the damage with 45 points, 19 rebounds and seven dimes combined. It wouldn’t be surprising to see these two perform well again later.
Butler, the 2014-15 Most Improved Player of the Year, is the team’s leading scorer this season with 22.5 PPG. He’s also played solidly at the United Center, averaging 20.2 PPG, 4.5 RPG and 4.2 APG across 24 games. Gasol, on the other hand, has been very productive throughout his 15-year career opposite Miami, posting 15.9 PPG, 9.4 RPG and 1.4 BPG in 28 career contests.
Apart from Gasol and Butler, the Bulls can still depend on their former MVP in Derrick Rose, who’s been showing remnants of his old dominant self lately, for some offense. In Rose’s last five games, he’s putting up 21.2 PPG and is shooting the rock at 44.4 percent. He and the rest of the Bulls will be trying to break through a Miami defense that’s missing the intimidating presence of Hassan Whiteside (3.9 BPG) in the middle.
Chicago is 5-5 SU and 4-6 ATS in its previous 10 home games.
