Pippen Ain’t Easy Pregame Report: Bulls vs. Heat

Chicago Bulls (44-14) vs. Miami Heat (40-16) Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

CHICAGO, IL – Chicago Bulls (44-14) vs. Miami Heat (40-16)

TV: WGN

Nat’l TV: TNT

Radio: ESPN 1000

Line: Even

Last 10 Games: CHI: 6-4, MIA: 5-5

Avg. Pts Scored/Allowed: CHI: 96.8/88.9, NYK: 100.3/93.6

Injury Report/Inactives: CHICAGO — NONE

MIAMI — SG Dwayne Wade, SG Mike Miller

Key Matchup: Rose vs. Empty Frontcourt

The biggest hole and flaw with this year’s Heat team is the lack of a point guard. Derrick Rose hasn’t had a proper chance to exploit this yet but he could get his first real crack at a time that the Bulls can cripple the Heat. John Lucas III rocked the Heat in their last meeting and with Rose hungry to get the conference wrapped up, expect him to dominate even if they put LeBron on him defensively.

Last Game: Bulls beat Knicks 98-86, Heat lost to Celtics 115-107

Last Meeting: March 14, 2012 — Bulls 106, Heat 102

Series History (Since 2002-03): Heat lead regular season series 20-15

Last Minute Preview: The Bulls got a massive break when the Celtics beat the Heat on Monday and got an even bigger break when the Grizzlies beat them last week. Chicago now has a 3 game lead on the Heat with 8 games left and could be up 4 games with 7 left after Thursday. The Bulls are finally in a position to close out the Eastern Conference and a win tonight can not only help them move towards that but it can give the Bulls another shot of swagger as they move down the home stretch.

Prediction:  Bulls 99, Heat 97

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