APRIL 19, 2024 — Greetings, basketball fans. Welcome to our NBA coverage here at Total Apex Sports. One of the games on tap from Friday’s slate features the Chicago Bulls (40-43) squaring off against the Miami Heat (46-37).
Here is a look at how both teams have been performing heading into the second round of the play-in tournament.
Tipoff
When: Friday, April 19, 2024 @ 7:00 PM ET
Where: Kaseya Center, Miami, FL
TV: ESPN
Heat vs. Bulls – Regular Season Stats & Trends
Can The Bulls Avenge Last Year’s Play-In Loss Against The Heat?
Chicago Bulls Season Stats:
- Scoring Offense: 112.3 PPG – 22ND
- Offensive Efficiency: 114.9 points per 100 possessions – 19TH
- Scoring Defense: 113.7 PPG – 16TH
- Defensive Efficiency: 116.3 points per 100 possessions – 21ST
The Bulls finished ninth in the conference playoff race, which matched them up with the 10th-seeded Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the play-in tournament. Chicago upended Atlanta to the tune of 131 to 116, giving the team its sixth win over the last 11 outings.
Chicago placed four starters in double figures, with Coby White leading the charge. He scored 42 points on a blistering 15-for-21 from the field and 3-for-7 from 3-point range. He also tallied nine rebounds, six assists, and two steals.
Nikola Vucevic finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds. DeMar DeRozan added 22 points, nine assists, and six rebounds.
DeRozan offered this assessment about the Bulls facing the Heat in the play-in tournament yet again.
“I remember that plane ride back home vividly,” Chicago guard DeMar DeRozan said after the game. “Everybody was just frustrated. That feeling sucked. I know for me, that’s one thing that’s on my mind once I realized we were going back to Miami — to not have that same feeling.”
Hawks Top The Bulls In The Play-In Round Again?
Miami Heat Season Stats:
- Scoring Offense: 110.1 PPG – 26TH
- Offensive Efficiency: 114.0 points per 100 possessions – 21ST
- Scoring Defense: 108.4 PPG – 3RD
- Defensive Efficiency: 112.2 points per 100 possessions – 5TH
Meanwhile, the Heat finished the season in the No. 8 spot, pitting them against the Philadelphia 76ers in the opening play-in round. And just like last season, Miami came up short in their first game of the play-in tournament, losing to the Sixers by a narrow 105-104 margin.
Tyler Herro led the way with 25 points and nine assists. But he connected on just nine of his 27 attempts, including a 4-for-14 effort from beyond the arc.
Jimmy Butler added 19 points along with five assists, five steals, and four rebounds. Butler struggled as well, shooting just 5-for-18 from the floor. Unfortunately for the Heat, this was not the only bad news from this game.
Butler suffered a sprained MCL injury and will miss the remainder of the playoffs. The Heat is a tough, gritty squad, but trying to advance without its leading scorer and playmaker could be a tall task, to say the least.
Will the Bulls avenge last year’s play-in loss or will the Heat find a way to knock off the Bulls for the second straight year?
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