Miami Heat vs Chicago Bulls Prediction: The Heat improving, the Bulls stumbling

The NBA Regular Season has brought to us terrific memories and as we go towards the midseason window, trades are going to come into play. As the next level gets unlocked, each game will carry even more importance. With each game, fatigue and injuries will play a further role and scoring can get more tenuous. In this Regular Season game, the Miami Heat is going to take on the Chicago Bulls.

The Heat comes into the game after a 111-101 win against the Spurs as Jimmy Butler rolled in 26 points. This was the fourth straight win for Miami and as a result, they are one game above the 50% win record which is a decent return after a horrible start to the season. They have won nine of their last thirteen to recover from a 7 wins and eleven losses start. The interesting part is that all the wins were away from home, although an easy schedule helped with all the teams either struggling or way below the 50% win mark. Anyway, a road win is difficult to acquire.

Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, and Bam Adebayo are all averaging over 20 points a game which means that the team has a chance to recover from a poor offensive start. Just like last season, the Heat has acquired steam around the midseason window and with plenty of action to come, the team will fancy their chances in big ways. Their defense is not as good as last season but it is still in the top half of the league. With their experience, the Heat will be fancied to make a big run and propel themselves to the top half of the East standings.

The Bulls come into this game after losing 126:150 against the Timberwolves despite a 29 points performance by DeMar DeRozan. This was the fourth straight loss for the Bulls that have been relegated to just 11 wins and 18 losses, which have hurt their chances early on. They have lost 12 of their last 17 games, five of these loss have come at home unfortunatley. The Bulls’ train has derailed since last season when they lost Lonzo Ball to an injury. When Ball was active, the Bulls were a 60+ win team, since he has gone, they have been a 60%+ losing team, is it a co-incidence that they have been poor without Ball?

DeMar DeRozan has been the scoring leader once again whereas Zach LaVIne has had some amazing nights but his overall offensive impact has reduced this season. Nikola Vucevic is a strong middle player but he isn’t the type of Center like Embiid/Jokic who can win games by himself. The defense of the Bulls has been decent but as they are crumbling, their defense is also falling down. It will be interesting to see what approach Bulls have from here. Will they make trades? Will they just let it be and wait for Ball? At any rate, the BUlls fans have been let down for a long time now.

• Heat: OUT: Gabe Vincent, Omer Yurtseven. PROBABLE: Jimmy Butler. QUESTIONABLE: Caleb Martin, Kyle Lowry;
• Bulls: OUT Lonzo Ball. QUESTIONABLE: JaVonte Green

• Expected Leading Scorers: Jimmy Butler(28-34 Points), DeMar DeRozan(26-30 Points), Tyler Herro(22-25 Points), Bam Adebayo(20-26 Points);
• Expected Leading Rebounders: Bam Adebayo(11-13 Rebounds), Nikola Vucevi(10-12 Rebounds).

The Bulls have lost four in a row while the Heat have won four in a row, the contrast is apparent. Chicago’s defense has been faltering after a decent start and the Heat’s offense which has been poor is showcasing signs of recovery. With Herro hitting his form while Butler and Adebayo providing ample offense, the Heat’s chances look great here. That’s why I’d back them to win. I predict a scoreline of 115:105 in Heat’s favor.