The Chicago Bulls are in Miami tonight for a dust up with their conference rivals, the Heat. The Bulls can ill afford a loss as they are just a half game ahead of the Bucks for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference standings. This evening's tip off is set for 7:30pm ET at American Airlines Arena in Miami.
NBA Picks: Chicago Bulls vs Miami Heat at Sportsbook.com are favoring Miami -5 against the spread.
The Bulls, at 29-34, are in third place in the Central Division, trailing the first place Cavaliers by 20.5 games and the second place Pistons by three. They are 6-4 in their last 10 games and are coming off back-to-back home wins entering tonight's game. Chicago beat Golden State 110-88 last Wednesday at the United Center and they smoked Milwaukee there on Friday night, 117-102.
Backcourt tandem Derrick Rose and Ben Gordon combined for 61 points and 13 assists in dispatching the Bucks. As a team Chicago shot 48.7 percent from the floor and hit 6-of-12 from beyond the arc in the critical win. Milwaukee had difficulty connecting from downtown against the Bulls stellar perimeter defense (second in the league in three point percentage defense – 33.6 percent), as they hit just one of their 14 three point attempts.
Vinny Del Negro's team has had real problems slowing opposing offenses on the road this year; they allow host teams an average of 103.9 points per game while they score 98.9 per road outing. As a result of their porous away defense, they have mustered a lowly 10-23 road record this season.
Miami has not exactly been hot of late, going 5-5 in their last 10 games, but their 33-29 record has them sitting in fifth place in the Eastern Conference's overall standings. The Heat are a game and a half ahead of sixth place Detroit and a game and a half behind fourth place Atlanta after losing 89-99 to the Cavaliers on Saturday night.
Dwayne Wade did more than his share to keep Miami in the game at Cleveland, scoring 25 points, dishing out 12 assists, and grabbing eight rebounds. His effort, however, was not enough as the Cavs hit 10 of their 18 attempts from three point range for a cool 55.6 percent. LeBron James recorded a triple double in the win, Cleveland's sixth in their last seven games versus the Heat.
Miami, who is 2-0 against the Bulls this season, is 21-11 at American Airlines Arena and 20-16 versus Eastern Conference foes. They are averaging 98.6 per game at home while giving up 95.1 in return. The Heat are one of the three worst home rebounding teams in the league, averaging a meager 40.1 per game at American Airlines.
Sportsbook.com's NBA Picks: Chicago Bulls vs Miami Heat
Chicago Bulls +5 (-110), Over 202.5 (-110), +180 (Moneyline)
Miami Heat -5 (-110), Under 202.5 (-110), -220 (Moneyline)
