Heat vs Bulls NBA Play-In Prediction

**SBR Andy** · 04-16-25, 08:55 AM

Heat vs Bulls predictions from SBR's Phil Wood:

Bulls -1 (-105 DraftKings)

"Erik Spoelstra always seems to overachieve once he makes the postseason, so perhaps I’m making a mistake with this play. However, the Bulls’ offense has been great this season. Despite their lack of postseason experience, the trio of Coby White, Nikola Vucevic, and Josh Giddey has had no trouble against the Heat this season.

Even if one of those players struggles on Wednesday, it’s unlikely that all three go ice cold at home. The Heat defense poses a serious threat, but even if this is a lower-scoring game than the Bulls are used to playing, their depth of scorers is more impressive than the Heat’s, which will be the difference late in the game."

Under 219.5 (-110 bet365)

"The Bulls are their most comfortable when they’re involved in high-scoring games, yet this is one trap I’m not falling for. Oddsmakers have set this total 3.5 or more points below the lowest-scoring game between these two teams this season. This has led to over 50% of bettors backing the Over.

However, the Heat have been one of the best defensive teams all season long, and they’ve already held the Bulls to 114 points once this season. Since these two teams met just a week ago, and the Heat gave up 119 points, Spoelstra will have plenty to work on with his team defensively to get ready for this game.

Those adjustments will allow the Heat to play this game the way they want to, even if they ultimately fall short in the end."

**SBR Andy** · 04-16-25, 08:58 AM

Heat vs Bulls player prop picks from SBR's Andrew Brennan:

Bam Adebayo Over 18.5 points (-115 DraftKings)

"Bam averaged his fewest points per game this season since the 2019-20 campaign, but that's not scaring me off taking his Over here in this pivotal Play-In Tournament showdown.

The Heat lost to the Boston Celtics in five games in the first round of the playoffs last year, but Bam did his part by averaging 22.6 points on nearly 50% shooting. Jimmy Butler was out for that series, and he's now gone to the Golden State Warriors.

Similar to that series, Bam stepped up as a scorer since Butler's departure this season. He averaged 21.2 points in February, 20.1 in March, and 23.8 in five April games.

Additionally, we're getting a great number here, as all of our other best NBA betting sites have Bam's points total at 19.5. I would jump on this line at DraftKings before it moves, too."

Coby White Under 22.5 points (-105 bet365)

"There are two different lines for Coby White's points total, so this bet depends on if you'd prefer to get the additional point or the higher expected value. This pick falls under the latter, as we sacrifice the point to get very tasty -105 odds on Under 22.5 points.

DraftKings also offers this same number, while Caesars and FanDuel offer Under 22.5 at -125 and -130, respectively. The only one of our best sports betting sites at 23.5 points - which matches Pinnacle's total - is BetMGM, and it offers the Under at -130.

Therefore, you can completely ignore the offerings at Caesars and FanDuel and make your choice between either DraftKings/bet365 or BetMGM. For what it's worth, a winning $10 wager on these odds would result in a profit of $9.52, while the same winning wager would result in a $7.69 profit at BetMGM."

Nikola Vucevic Over 3.5 assists (-115 DraftKings)

"Vucevic averaged exactly 3.5 assists this season, but we saw him getting more involved as a passer in a small sample of April games. In those six contests, he averaged 4.8 dimes, and his usage rate skyrocketed as the Bulls battled to get in this spot.

If that trend continues in this first Play-In Tournament game, Vucevic should clear this total with ease. That's likely why we've seen an absurd amount of movement to the Over at Pinnacle, which features one of the most respected trading teams in the sports betting industry. It opened Over 3.5 assists at +128 and is now offering it at -140 after moving it as short as -149.

Some of our other best sports betting apps are already offering the Over at odds hovering around -130, so we're getting a good price at DraftKings."