The NBA season is winding down. Thus, playoff implications are on the line. The middle third of the Eastern Conference is especially juicy. Three games are the gap between the 7th-seeded Orlando Magic and the 10th-place Miami Heat. However, eighth, ninth, and 10th place are separated by merely one game. Two of these three squads will face off against one another tonight—the Heat and the Chicago Bulls.
How big is Heat-Bulls?
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) April 9, 2025
Miami closes at Pelicans and vs. Wizards
No No. 10 seed has yet advanced from
Play-In Tournament to NBA playoffs
As of this morning, Bulls’ seeding %:
7 seed: 3%
8 seed: 28%
9 seed: 42%
10 seed: 27%
Bulls are 16-23 at home. Heat are 16-22 on road
Chicago is coming off a 135-113 loss at the hands of the Eastern Conference's best team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Bulls never stood a chance, as the Coaching Staff and Front Office opted for preservation with tonight's affair in mind. Rookie Matas Buzelis was the only starter to suit up against the Cavaliers. Chicago sat Coby White, Josh Giddey, Kevin Huerter, and Nikola Vucevic.
The Heat are healthy in the nick of time
Chicago's strategy wasn't too different from the Heat's two nights ago. However, the level of competition was vastly different. Miami sat Bam Adebayo and kept Andrew Wiggins in street clothes in a clash with the lowly Philadelphia 76ers. The Heat defeated the Sixers 117-105, led by 21 points from Duncan Robinson and 20 from Tyler Herro.
Coming up on a matchup with the Bulls, Miami listed Adebayo, Herro, and Wiggins on its injury report. Fortunately for the Heat, the former two have been deemed available. Adebayo sat out the last contest with back spasms, while Herro was questionable with a thigh contusion. On the other hand, Wiggins has missed six consecutive contests with hamstring tendinopathy. Nevertheless, Miami Head Coach Erik Spoelstra implied Wiggins will take the floor despite the questionable status.
Bulls' starters should be back in full force
Although the Bulls' injury report is lengthier than the Heat's, it's expected that only the usual suspects will be absent from Billy Donovan's rotation. Only Lonzo Ball and Tre Jones have been ruled out thus far. Ball has missed 19 straight games with a wrist sprain, while Jones's absent streak is about to reach 10. The 6-foot-1 guard has been out since March 22 with a midfoot sprain and hasn't been given a timetable for return.
As for the Bulls' rested starters, two have been deemed questionable. Giddey, who was spotted wearing a wrist brace on the bench last night—should be good to go against Miami. The same goes for Huerter, who sat out with a right cervical strain. Lastly, Vooch, who rested his right calf versus Cleveland, has been listed as probable, meaning Chicago's second-leading scorer will be in the lineup.
Full injury report for Chicago Bulls vs Miami Heat
The complete injury report for tonight's game is as follows:
Chicago Bulls
Out: Lonzo Ball (Right Wrist Sprain), Tre Jones (Left Midfoot Sprain).
Questionable: Kevin Huerter (Right Cervical Strain), Josh Giddey (Right Flexor Carpi Ulnaris Tendinopathy), Jalen Smith (Right Ankle Sprain).
Probable: Nikola Vucevic (Right Calf Soreness).
Miami Heat
Out: Nikola Jovic (Right Hand Fracture), Kevin Love (Personal Reasons).
Questionable: Isaiah Stevens (Left Foot Discomfort), Andrew Wiggins (Right Hamstring Tendinopathy).
Probable: Haywood Highsmith (Left Achilles Soreness).