Heat vs Bulls Pick, Preview & Betting Odds For Saturday, March 18th

Check out our free Heat vs Bulls pick and preview for this NBA game in Chicago. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this NBA matchup.

Heat vs Bulls NBA Pick & Preview

Sport: NBA
Teams: Miami Heat at Chicago Bulls
Where: Chicago at United Center
Date: Saturday, March 18th
Betting Odds CHI +3.5, MIA -156 | CHI +130 O/U 218.0

So far, the Heat have put together an overall record of 38-33, while going 26-43-2 vs the spread. Against the Bulls, the Heat are looking to add to their current 2 game winning streak. Team has an average scoring margin of 11.5 in these matchups.

The Heat will look to keep things rolling, as they previously beat the Grizzlies by a score of 138-119. Heading into the game, they were 4 point favorites against the spread, giving them an ATS win. Miami played well enough in the second half to prevent the Grizzlies from making things interesting down the stretch, as they led by 12 going into halftime. In the win, Bam Adebayo led the team in scoring with 26 points on a field goal percentage of 66.7%.

The Bulls come into today’s matchup with an overall record of 32-37. So far, the team has gone 34-35-0 against the spread. Against the spread, Chicago has a mark of 2-1. Straight up, their record is 2-1 in these games.

The Bulls will look to keep things rolling, as they previously beat the Timberwolves by a score of 139-131. Heading into the game, they were 2 point favorites against the spread, giving them an ATS win. Chicago pulled out the win despite trailing by 5 going into halftime. The team did not put a dent in this deficit in the 3rd quarter, but put together a strong comeback effort in the 4th. In the win, DeMar DeRozan led the team in scoring with 49 points on a field goal percentage of 60.0%.

Head To Head Recap & Stats

In the most recent matchup between the two teams, the Bulls picked up the win 116-108 win over the Heat. Heading into the game, Chicago was the 7.5 point underdogs, giving them an ATS win. So far this season, the Bulls have a record of 2-0 vs the Heat. In last year’s head-to-head meetings, the Heat averaged 116.0 points per game vs Chicago, which was an increase over their season-long average. However, the Bulls actually averaged fewer points per game than their season-long mark. Across their head-to-head matchups with Miami, the team averaged 101.0 points per game. The ATS record across the previous 5 head-to-head meetings is 3-2 in favor of the Heat. In these matchups, Miami has averaged 113 points per game, while allowing 105. The over-under record in these same games is 3-2, with the teams combining for an average of 218 points per game.

Odds & Free Betting Analysis For This NBA Game

The Heat come into today’s game as the 30th ranked scoring offense at 109.1 points per game. Coming into today’s game, the Heat will be looking to improve their 3-point shooting numbers, as they are averaging just 11.7 made 3’s per game. If the Miami offense is going to improve, they must continue to do a good job avoiding turnovers. Currently, the unit is 9th in fewest turnovers per game.

On the defensive end of the floor, the Heat are giving up an average of 105.57 points per game, good for 4th in the NBA.

On offense, Bam Adebayo leads the Heat in scoring at 21.0 points per game, placing him 44th in the NBA. Overall, Adebayo has hit 54.3% of his shots while accounting for 17.8% of the team’s looks from the field. In today’s game, he will be working against a defensive unit that is 13th in points allowed to centers. At 22.6 points per game, Jimmy Butler is the 2nd leading scorer for the Heat. For the season, he is 13th in the league in player efficiency rating, while posting a field goal percentage of 52.6%.

The Bulls come into today’s game as the 18th ranked scoring offense at 113.6 points per game. When looking at the team’s pace of play, the Bulls are currently below the league average in possessions per game, averaging just 99.3 per contest. Right now, the Bulls offense is in search of answers, as not only do they tend to play at a slow pace, but they are just 14th in effective field goal percentage.

On defense, the Bulls will look for some improved play, as they are currently the 17th ranked unit in points allowed per game.

This season, the Bulls offense has primarily worked through Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan who are 1st and 2nd on the team in scoring. In his 65 games, LaVine is 22nd in the NBA at 25.1 points per game. So far, him and DeRozan have accounted for 42% of the team’s field goal attempts while combining to average 50.6 points per contest. In addition to sitting 2nd on the team in scoring, DeMar DeRozan is grabbing 4.7 rebounds for Chicago to go along with 5.0 assists.