Bulls vs Heat Play-In Prediction and Best Spread & Player Prop Bets

Who will the Milwaukee Bucks face in the first round of the NBA playoffs? We will find out tonight, as the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat meet with the Eastern Conference's #8 seed at stake (7:00 pm ET, TNT).

On Tuesday night, the Heat had a chance to clinch the #7 seed at home against the Atlanta Hawks. Instead, Atlanta jumped out in front early and left Miami with a 116-105 win, the #7 seed, and a first-round date with the Boston Celtics.

That leaves the Heat with their backs against the wall and facing a winner-take-all battle with the Bulls, who stunned Scotiabank Arena into silence on Wednesday with a 109-105 win over the Toronto Raptors.

Will Miami make a matchup with Milwaukee happen, or will the Bulls become the first #10 seed to advance to the first round? Read on for our Heat vs Bulls prediction, as well as the best spread and player prop bets for tonight's game at the Kaseya Center.

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Chicago Bulls vs Miami Heat Odds

Odds are via BetOnline as of Friday, April 14, 2023.

Spread

• Chicago Bulls +5.5 (-110)
• Miami Heat -5.5 (-110)

Over/Under

• Over 208.5 (-110)
• Under 208.5 (-110)

Moneyline

• Chicago Bulls +180
• Miami Heat -215

Will the NBA's Worst ATS Team Fail for a Final Time This Season?

Despite having the worst ATS record in the NBA in the regular season, many, including me, expected the Heat to take care of business against the Hawks on Tuesday night.

After all, though they went 15-25-1 ATS at home this season, the Heat had a solid SU record at the Kaseya Center, winning 27 of 41 games. And entering the play-in tournament, Miami had gone 8-2 SU and 6-4-0 ATS in their final ten home games of the regular season.

Alas, the Hawks came to play right on time just like they did in last year's play-in tournament, and the Heat seemingly forgot they had a game for a while.

Will Miami make the most of a bonus opportunity to book a ticket to the first round? To this point, the Heat are 17-11 SU and 11-17-0 ATS at home against teams who either made the play-in or will be taking part in the first round of the playoffs.

By comparison, the Bulls are just 11-17 SU and 14-14-0 ATS in road games against play-in and playoff teams.

However, two of those SU wins are against the very team that they are facing tonight.

To open the season, Chicago claimed a 116-108 win in Miami as a 7.5-point underdog, and they repeated the feat on December 20, winning 113-103 as a 1.5-point underdog.

Chicago Bulls vs Miami Heat Prediction and Best Bets

Prediction for Bulls vs Heat: Bulls to win

Best Bets for Bulls vs Heat: Bulls +5.5

In the brief history of the play-in tournament, the road team (the lower seed) has gone 3-1 SU in the #8 seed showdown, with the lone win being a 27-point win for the Washington Wizards over the Indiana Pacers two years ago.

Will that lower seed score another winner-take-all win? I really like Chicago's chances to do so.

We will see if the Bulls will get another assist from DeMar DeRozan's daughter, whose strategic screams during foul line trips may or may not have contributed to the Raptors crucially missing 18 of 36 free throws.

But I'm rolling with the Bulls to at least give themselves a chance to win in Miami for the third time this season.

Best Player Props for Chicago Bulls vs Miami Heat

• Nikola Vucevic over 10.5 rebounds (Best Value: Bovada Sportsbook)
• Nikola Vucevic over 26.5 points + rebounds (Best Value: Bovada Sportsbook)

Vucevic had 14 points and 13 rebounds (and four assists as well) in Wednesday's win in Toronto, and in Chicago's two regular season games in Miami, he had 15 points and 17 boards and 29 points and 12 boards.

Where to Bet on Bulls vs Heat

Here are four legal sports betting sites that we highly recommend and have reviewed, where you can bet on this year's NBA postseason action.

This is a very popular time of year, and you can get in on the action at any of the top sports betting sites out there.

But these four books are all reputable names, and you can trust them with your betting funds.