Miami Heat vs Chicago Bulls 4/2/22: Starting Lineups, Matchup Preview, Betting Odds, Live Stream

Miami Heat vs Chicago Bulls Matchup Preview (4/2/22)

The Miami Heat (49-28) travel to face the Chicago Bulls (45-32) in a potential preview of a playoff matchup. The Heat went 8-7 in March with the 22nd Offensive Rating and 6th Defensive Rating. They are barely clinging to the 1st seed, and they should not want to fall to the 2nd seed because the Brooklyn Nets, a team nobody wants to face, are presumably going to secure the 7th seed. The Heat are coming off a 106-98 win over the red-hot Boston Celtics. Bam Adebayo didn’t have to match up against the injured Robert Williams; Bam produced 17 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists. Kyle Lowry scored 23 points on 6 threes while facilitating 8 assists. Jimmy Butler paced the team in scoring with 24 points on 9/17 from the field. The Heat held Jayson Tatum to 23 points because they were consistently trapping him late in the game. The Celtics struggled to get their offense going because of this. The Heat have nobody listed on the injury report, so they will be at full strength against the Bulls. 

The Bulls are 6-9 in March with the 25th Offensive Rating and 21st Defensive Rating. They enter this contest on a high note after executing a comeback over the Los Angeles Clippers. The Bulls were down 11 points with 5 minutes left, but they managed to send the game to overtime and win 135-130. DeMar DeRozan scored 14 points in the final 5 minutes of regulation by hitting clutch shot after clutch shot. He ended the game with 50 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists on 17/26 from the field and 14/15 from the charity stripe. Nikola Vucevic had 22 points and 14 rebounds, while Zach LaVine chipped in 21 points. Patrick Williams had a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds off the bench, but he was crucial in their comeback. He hit a clutch three to give the Bulls a chance and defended without fouling. Against the Heat, the Bulls will be without Lonzo Ball once again. Ayo Dosunmu and Alex Caruso make up the starting backcourt as a result.

Miami Heat vs Chicago Bulls Betting Odds

The Heat are 3-0 this season against the Bulls with a 14-point average margin of victory. The last game between these two teams was a 112-99 Heat win on February 28th. The Bulls have scored 104, 92, and 99 points in the season series because the Heat defense has stifled the Bulls. In this final matchup, I like the Heat to go on the road and sweep the season series. The Heat defense is built for this matchup, and they can grind the pace to a halt. Both teams have been inconsistent recently, so the Bulls can still catch the Heat on a bad night and win. This game is nowhere near a lock, but the Heat have the advantage heading into it. When the Heat are away, they hit the over 60.5% of the time. When the Bulls are home, they hit the over 52.8% of the time. 

TV Schedule

Date: 4/2/22
Time: 8:00 PM ET
Arena: United Center – Chicago, IL
Channel: NBA League Pass

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Miami Heat Starting Lineup

PG: Kyle Lowry
SG: Max Strus
SF: Jimmy Butler
PF: PJ Tucker
C: Bam Adebayo

Miami Heat Analysis

The Heat will win this game off of their versatile defense. DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine are premier isolation scorers, but PJ Tucker and Jimmy Butler are defensive stoppers. Tucker has the strength and physicality to stonewall DeRozan’s drive, and Butler has the quickness and anticipation to shadow LaVine. The Heat were trapping Tatum and forcing the other Celtics players to beat them, and they may deploy that same strategy. DeRozan is averaging 39.7 PPG in his last three games, so the Heat should get the ball out of his hands. Bam Adebayo is great enough defensively to play help defense and allow the players who trapped to get back in position. If the Heat lose because Alex Caruso and Ayo Dosunmu hit shots, then so be it. They cannot, however, lose from DeRozan’s heroics. 

Offensively, the Heat should target Nikola Vucevic and drag him out to the perimeter in the pick and roll. Reggie Jackson was targeting Vucevic all night, and Lowry/Butler can do the same. Tyler Herro can especially take advantage of this because of his lethal off the dribble shooting. 

Chicago Bulls Starting Lineup

PG: Ayo Dosunmu
SG: Alex Caruso
SF: Zach LaVine
PF: DeMar DeRozan
C: Nikola Vucevic

Chicago Bulls Analysis

DeMar and LaVine are superb isolation scorers, but the Bulls are at their most dangerous when the ball is moving. The Heat are 8th at isolation defense and have excellent individual defenders, so the Bulls must find a way to consistently generate open looks. The Heat’s defensive weakness relative to the rest of the starting lineup is at shooting guard, so the Bulls should adjust their lineup to put LaVine at shooting guard. Chicago has started Dosunmu and Caruso in the backcourt, but inserting Patrick Williams for Alex Caruso would give the Bulls a better matchup for the starting lineup. 

Williams can guard Tucker or Butler, so LaVine wouldn’t have to. LaVine would be shifted to shooting guard, where he can attack the Heat. The Heat bench is also thin at forward because of injury, so there is no dire need to have a wing like Williams off the bench. Coby White can handle the bench scoring, and Caruso would do his best to slow down Tyler Herro. They can still play Caruso in crunch time, but it would help them in the beginning of the game to make this switch. 

Miami Heat vs Chicago Bulls Daily Fantasy Picks

I like Adebayo, Herro, and DeRozan in this matchup. Adebayo is a fantasy beast who stuffs the box score. Vucevic will struggle to guard Bam, and I see the Heat using him as a scorer more than they usually do. Herro sees big minutes no matter what, but the potential injuries to Strus and Vincent mean Herro’s presence is even more necessary. Coby White cannot guard Herro in the slightest, and I expect Herro to break 20 points here. For the Bulls, I think DeRozan’s volume and recent play makes him a lock. He is getting to his spots consistently and lives at the free throw line right now. He’s also good for a few rebounds and assists too, which only bolsters his fantasy value.