The drama continues as the Miami Heat face off against the Chicago Bulls in a high-stakes game for the coveted eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. The Heat have home-court advantage and are the favorites ahead of Friday's game at the Kaseya Center. The Heat will be eager to redeem themselves following their Play-In loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. The Bulls overcame the Hawks at home, but need one more victory to get that playoff spot. The winner of the game will have a date against No.1 seed Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference playoffs first round.
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Basketball: NBA Play-in Tournament
Where to Watch: ESPN
Venue: Kaseya Center, Miami, Florida
Date: 20.04.2024 02:00
Miami Heat
The Heat fell short in their first matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers, losing narrowly by 105-104. The Heat's defense, usually a strength, managed to limit Joel Embiid, who scored 23 points and 15 rebounds. It was a tough matchup, as the Heat led by 12 points at half-time and put up a spirited fight that needed the Sixers pulling out all the tricks in the book to progress. Last year, the Heat went from the play-in tourney to the championship game and are motivated to repeat that feat. An injury to Jimmy Butler worries the Heat, who hope their star guard will make it to the court on Friday.
I fell, he landed, and my knee just didn't do well, I guess. I don't know. It's not a good feeling; I can tell you that.
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls swept away the Atlanta Hawks in a convincing 131-116 performance to secure the rematch with the Miami Heat. Coby White exploded with a career-high 42 points on the night, the second-most ever in a Play-In game. White seized his moment in the spotlight, with the crowd chanting his name at the end. The Bulls have a chance to avenge their loss from last season's Play-In game against Miami, which they let slip at the end.
[Coby] led us tonight. We talked before the game coming out, being aggressive. Trying to make a statement early on and not wait. That's what we did.
Betting Odds
The Miami Heat are 1.88 favorites on 1XBET, which lists the underdog at 2.1 odds. Betway has over 210.5 at 1.98 odds, with the under available at 1.63. Take Chicago Bulls for 1.90 on the +2.5 spread on Bet365. Read more here.
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