Miami’s playing its best basketball as of the moment. Since losing six of its first seven games of 2017, the Heat have built together a season-best five-game winning streak (5-0 ATS), including upsets over the Rockets and Warriors.
The backcourt partnership of Goran Dragic and Dion Waiters has been clicking with both averaging at least 22.0 points in the team’s current run. But the former OKC guard is playing on a higher level compared to the former, racking up 30.0 points on an incredible 61.4 percent shooting in the previous three outings. And believe it or not, he’s shooting at an even better rate from down town at 68.4 percent (13-for-19) in that same stretch.
While the offense has significantly improved, Hassan Whiteside’s done a good enough job in crashing the boards and negating shots. The 7-foot center out of Marshall is posting 15.0 points, 12.0 rebounds and 2.8 blocks this month. He’s deemed questionable for this game, though, due to a sprained ankle.
The Heat should find themselves in a close one against the Bulls, who’ve won the first two meetings already this season. Waiters better bring out his big boy pants again, just like when he hit those pair of game-winning threes in Brooklyn and versus Golden State.
There is tension surrounding Chicago’s locker room. Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade criticized their teammates’ lack of desire to win after seeing the Bulls allow 41 fourth-quarter points in Wednesday’s 119-114 home loss to the Hawks.
The Marquette products combined for 73 points—40 of which came from Butler—while Doug McDermott was the only other player who finished in double figures with 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting. The rest couldn’t find any rhythm offensively and couldn’t lock up the defense down the stretch.
That sums up why this team can only go as far as where Butler and Wade takes them. Chicago ranks 23rd in the league in points per game, 29th in field goal percentage and 30th in three-point percentage while it’s supposedly solid D is gradually becoming less consistent.
The Bulls are 6-4 SU and 4-6 ATS in their last 10 home games.
