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The Miami Heat will host the Chicago Bulls in an Eastern Conference matchup to start their 2022-23 season. The Miami Heat will look to repeat the 2021-22 regular season after finishing in the #1 seed with 53 wins. The Heat turned that into an impressive playoff run but ultimately fell short to make the finals. The Chicago Bulls finished with a solid 46-36 and the 6th seed in the East last season. After a first-round exit in the playoffs last season, Chicago will need to overcome some early injuries if they plan to redeem themselves.
Chicago Bulls vs. Miami Heat Match Details
Fixture: Chicago Bulls @ Miami Heat
Date and Time: Wednesday, October 19 (7:30 PM EST)
Venue: FTX Arena
Chicago Bulls vs Miami Heat Betting Odds
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Chicago Bulls vs Miami Heat Key Stats
The Miami Heat basically returned with the same roster as last season, minus P.J. Tucker, who proved to be a valuable veteran. The Heat don't have much salary flexibility after giving Tyler Herro a handsome extension. The roster has proved to keep them as contenders in the East, and when Oladipo returns, they will only be deeper.
The Chicago Bulls have been on a downward spiral since the final sprint of last season, battling injuries and a losing streak. The Bulls finished the season 7-15 and saw a first-round playoff exit. Lonzo Ball has no set time to return and the Bulls are still without Caruso and Lavine to start the season. DeRozan will have to do everything he can to keep them above water until the roster sees its return to full strength.
The Heat have no shortage of weapons, despite their suspiciously low outlook with sportsbooks for the season. Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo will lead the Heat to hopefully repeat and play with the same game plan as last season. Tyler Herro is the defending champion for sixth man of the year, and although unlikely to repeat, he certainly offers a lot of spark off the bench. This depth and change of speed wiLL prove to be too much for the short-staffed Chicago Bulls tonight.
Demar DeRozan was involved in early-season MVP chatter last season, and being the only main piece left healthy, will have to exceed last season's start. The Bulls added Andre Drummond to help hold the front-court together, but that's a depressing piece of news given all of the other names on the injury report. Expect Chicago to remain in the bottom half of the Eastern Conference until healthy, then they can be re-assessed.
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Chicago Bulls vs Miami Heat Betting Prediction
Expect the Heat to have their way with the Bulls tonight and Jimmy Butler to have a big night to start the season. The Bulls will be playing from behind for most of the game, forcing DeRozan to maintain a heavy usage rate. A short list of quality bench players in Chicago will allow the Heat to coast in the second half, but expect first-half domination from Miami.
Prediction: Miami Heat -7.5 (-110), Jimmy Butler to score 20+ (-250)
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