Bulls and Heat Face Off for No. 8 Seed
The Chicago Bulls take on the Miami Heat at Kaseya Center in an NBA Play-In Tournament game Friday night.

The Bulls (39-43 reg. season, 1-0 postseason) finished the regular season on shaky footing, but they appeared to be clicking on all cylinders during Wednesday's 131-116 Play-In victory over the Atlanta Hawks. Coby White led the Bulls with 42 points, adding nine rebounds, six assists and two steals. Nikola Vucevic generated a 24-point, 12-rebound double-double that included two assists. DeMar DeRozan furnished 22 points, nine assists, six rebounds, one steal and one block. Ayo Dosunmu totaled 19 points, three assists, one rebound and two blocks. Javonte Green supplied 10 points, six boards, four assists and one steal.

The Bulls will list Alex Caruso (ankle), Dosunmu (quadriceps) and Andre Drummond (ankle) as questionable for Friday's game. Julian Phillips (foot) will remain out.

The Heat (46-36 reg. season, 0-1 postseason) had a difficult Wednesday in Philadelphia for a variety of reasons, and as a result, they're now facing elimination Friday night. Miami blew a sizable lead to eventually drop a 105-104 decision, and they also saw Jimmy Butler suffer an MCL sprain that's projected to cost him multiple weeks. Against the 76ers, Tyler Herro led the way with 25 points, complementing them with nine assists and two rebounds. Butler supplied 19 points, five assists, four rebounds and five steals. Jaime Jaquez provided 15 points, five rebounds, two assists and one steal. Bam Adebayo and Kevin Love contributed matching 10-point efforts while adding 12 and two rebounds, respectively. Adebayo also turned in two blocks.

The Heat will be without Butler (knee) and Terry Rozier (neck) for Friday's game. Duncan Robinson (back) will carry a probable tag.

Friday's game marks the fifth meeting between the teams since the start of the regular season. Chicago and Miami have won two games apiece.
Posted on: 4/18/2024 5:17 PM