Chicago Bulls vs. Miami Heat Play-In game time and date announced

Fresh off a 122-102 victory over the downtrodden Philadelphia 76ers, the Chicago Bulls can now turn their attention to the Miami Heat. The Bulls will square off against the Heat in the first round of the Play-In Tournament on Wednesday, April 16 at 6:30 p.m. CT at the United Center. The battle will be aired on ESPN—Chicago's sixth nationally televised game this season.

The bout will determine who plays for the eighth seed on Friday, April 18. The following contest will be against the loser of the first-round game between the Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks. The final Eastern Conference Play-In game will be aired on TNT. If Chicago advances, it'll be the Bulls' first TNT game all season.

The Bulls vs. Heat game time has been announced

Chicago is 3-0 against Miami this season. The Bulls first defeated the Heat on February 4 in the first contest post-Zach LaVine. Without their leading scorer in the lineup, the Bulls still managed to drop 133 points on a top-10 Heat defense. Coby White, Josh Giddey, and Matas Buzelis seemingly foreshadowed the latter part of Chicago's season, leading the way in the victory against Miami. The trio combined for 70 points.

Like the Bulls, the Heat also traded their best player ahead of the trade deadline. However, Miami traded Butler on February 5, a day after the first matchup between the Play-In rivals. Thus, the March 8 clash was Miami's first time taking on Chicago without Butler. In the second of three contests, Chicago came away victorious, 114-109. Giddey starred again, dropping 26 points, grabbing 10 rebounds, and dishing 12 assists. White wasn't too far behind, scoring 21.

The third affair occurred less than a week ago. In an all-important battle on April 9, the Bulls won 119-111 behind yet another stellar Giddey performance. The 22-year-old recorded an unprecedented triple-double. Giddey scored 28 points, hauled in 16 rebounds, dished out 11 assists, and recorded two steals and three blocks. The rest of the starting five added 77 points in the victory.

Bulls injuries ahead of the Play-In Tournament

Giddey has been the catalyst behind Chicago's second-half season surge and its triumphs over Miami. However, likely, Giddey won't be 100 percent in the fourth matchup of the season. The Aussie missed two of Chicago's last three games with an injured right wrist. He remained in the Windy City to receive treatment while the Bulls traveled to Philadelphia.

On the bright side, Billy Donovan stated there's high-level optimism that Giddey will suit up against the Heat. The triple-double threat himself posted an Instagram Story seemingly confirming Donovan's optimism, writing "postseason hoops [on the way]."

While Giddey should be good to go, the Bulls will be without fellow guards Lonzo Ball and Tre Jones. The former has missed all of March and April with a wrist sprain. He isn't likely to suit up in the Play-In Tournament, but if the Bulls advance, there's hope Ball can suit up against the Cleveland Cavaliers in round one. Lastly, Jones has missed 11 consecutive contests with a left midfoot sprain and remains without a timetable for return.