The Miami Heat are 12-4 against the Chicago Bulls since January of 2016, and they'll have a chance to extend that success Friday. They will face off at 9 p.m. ET March 12 at United Center without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Miami is expected to win -- but not by much -- so they will need to come into the game prepared for a fight.
The Heat were able to grind out a solid win over the Orlando Magic on Thursday, winning 111-103. Miami's small forward Jimmy Butler did his thing and almost dropped a triple-double on 27 points, 11 dimes, and eight rebounds.
Meanwhile, Chicago suffered a grim 127-105 defeat to the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday. Power forward Lauri Markkanen put forth a good effort for the losing side as he shot 7-for-7 from beyond the arc and finished with 23 points.
Miami's victory lifted them to 19-18 while Chicago's defeat dropped them down to 16-19. Allowing an average of 115.54 points per game, Chicago hasn't exactly asserted themselves on the defensive end. We'll see if they can patch up the holes in their defense before their upcoming contest.
How To Watch Bulls vs. Heat
Odds
The Heat are a slight 2.5-point favorite against the Bulls, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 2.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
Over/Under: -112