Chicago Bulls at Miami Heat predictions, odds: Who wins NBA play-in game?
The Miami Heat will host the Chicago Bulls in an elimination round of the play-in tournament at 6 p.m. Friday (ESPN).
The winner will be the No. 8 seed in the NBA playoffs. It'll face No. 1 Boston, and Game 1 is set for noon Sunday.
The two teams split the regular-season series, 2-2. Miami earned a 118-116 home win over the Chicago in the most recent meeting on Dec. 16.
Miami suffered a 105-104 road loss to Philadelphia in the first round of the play-in tournament on Wednesday. The Heat will be without Jimmy Butler, who suffered a sprained MCL against the 76ers and is expected to miss multiple weeks.
Chicago earned a 131-116 home win over Atlanta in an elimination round of the play-in tournament on Wednesday. Alex Caruso suffered an ankle injury, but he expects to play on Friday.
Here's a look at how the play-in matchup is projected to play out:
Play-in tournament picks: Lakers at Pelicans | Warriors at Kings | Heat at 76ers | Hawks at Bulls | Kings at Pelicans | Bulls at Heat
First-round picks: Celtics vs Heat | Knicks vs 76ers | Bucks vs Pacers | Cavaliers vs Magic | Thunder vs Pelicans | Nuggets vs Lakers | Timberwolves vs Suns | Clippers vs Mavericks
More: 2024 NBA playoffs: Complete schedule, bracket breakdown, how to watch
The Oklahoman: Chicago 102, Miami 99
Justin Martinez writes: "Miami earned a 102-91 home win over Chicago in the final round of last season's play-in tournament. The Heat won thanks in large part to Max Strus and Butler, who each scored 31 points. But Butler is out for Friday's rematch, and Strus now plays for Cleveland. I'm going with the revenge-seeking Bulls, whose backcourt of Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu has made strides this season."
BetMGM: Miami Heat (-2.5) is favored to beat the Chicago Bulls
Miami is a 2.5-point favorite to defeat Chicago on Friday.
Over/under: 206.5
Moneyline: Miami -130 | Chicago +105
ESPN: Miami Heat has a 62.1% chance to beat the Chicago Bulls
ESPN gives Miami a 62.1% chance of winning on Friday.
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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Chicago Bulls at Miami Heat predictions, odds for NBA play-in
