Chicago Bulls – Miami Heat: future Play-In showdown?
The Bulls host the Heat in the first of three straight meetings between these clubs — a midseason mini-series that looks suspiciously like a Play-In rehearsal. Two teams that keep turning up for the Play-In; maybe a sneak preview of what’s to come.
Chicago Bulls: getting back to .500 
The Bulls have dropped two in a row — 118-129 to the Lakers, then 110-113 at Indiana. Just before that they had nudged back over .500 with gutsy wins over the Celtics (114-111), Wolves (120-115) and Clippers (138-110). That run coincided with Josh Giddey’s return — but he won’t dress tonight. Tre Jones is back to run the point.
Chicago’s bread and butter is scoring. They average 117.7 points (8th in the NBA): lots of threes, lots of rim work, minimal midrange. Defense? Not so much. They surrender 119.8 points per game, the fifth-worst mark in the league. Against Miami they’ll need to stop leaking points or this becomes a long night.
INJURY REPORT: Josh Giddey (OUT) – Kevin Huerter (OUT) – Zach Collins (OUT) – Jalen Smith (OUT)
Miami Heat: clinging to a top-6 chase 
The Heat are still hunting a top-six spot in the East — the kind that skips you straight into the Playoffs. Erik Spoelstra’s group lost last night to Orlando (124-133) and fly to Chicago with little time to reset. The bright side: the report is clean at the time of writing, so Tyler Herro is available — a big uplift for Miami’s offense.
Offensively Miami is elite, like Chicago. They put up 119.8 points per game, third-best this season. Their system, which downplays pick-and-rolls and runs unconventional actions, suits the roster — players like Norman Powell thrive in it. Defensively they’re shaky too, allowing 118.4 points per night, the seventh-worst in the league.
INJURY REPORT: None
NBA Prediction Chicago Bulls vs Miami Heat
Heat to score over 119.5 points
Even with both teams on back-to-backs, expect a high-scoring tilt. These are two of the league’s top offenses and two of the league’s worst defenses — that recipe screams points. The Bulls will miss their floor general, while Miami should be at full strength, making 120 points a realistic target for the Heat.
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