Bulls Face Heat April 16 at United Center, ESPN; Chicago Favored After 3-0 Regular Season Sweep

The Chicago Bulls, seeded No. 9, will host the No. 10 seed Miami Heat in the NBA Play-In Tournament at United Center in Chicago on Wednesday, April 16, at 6:30 p.m. CT (7:30 p.m. ET). The game will be broadcast on ESPN. The winner will advance to face the Atlanta Hawks on Friday for a chance to secure the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference and a first-round playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The loser will be eliminated from postseason contention. Chicago swept the regular season series against Miami 3-0, including a 119-111 home win. The Bulls have won 10 of their last 13 games and hold a 15-5 record over the past month and a half. Their roster features Josh Giddey, Coby White, Kevin Huerter, rookie Matas Buzelis, and Nikola Vucevic, with Ayo Dosunmu and Lonzo Ball unavailable. The Heat, with a 37-45 regular season record, traded Jimmy Butler at the deadline and now rely on Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo, Alec Burks, Andrew Wiggins, and rookie Kel'el Ware. Miami has previously eliminated Chicago in the Play-In Tournament in both 2022 and 2023. Betting odds favor the Bulls by 1.5 points (moneyline: Chicago -115, Miami -105), with ESPN giving Chicago a 60.6% chance to win. The over/under for the game is 222.5 points.