Heat vs Bulls Free Pick, NBA Free Picks, NBA Predictions 4/16/25
- J.A. Cavalier
- Apr 16
- 3 min read
MIAMI @ CHICAGO (CHI -1, 219.5)
NBA ODDS, NBA PREDICTIONS, NBA PREVIEWS
HEAT @ BULLS 4/16/25
The Chicago Bulls earned home-court advantage for their Eastern Conference play-in game on Wednesday night because they had a better overall record than the Miami Heat. The ninth-seeded Bulls (39–43) could be viewed as the underdog against the 10th-seeded Heat (37–45), even though they have won all three of their meetings with Miami this season.
Without three of their point guards, Chicago could still score points. Josh Giddey is expected to play even though he has a hand injury. Tre Jones has not been cleared to take off a walking boot, and Lonzo Ball is doubtful due to a wrist injury. Ball was permitted to resume basketball activities this week after wearing a brace on his wrist for weeks. Ball would need a few days to catch up, according to head coach Billy Donovan.
Giddey, 22, has been hindered by his injury all season, according to Donovan, though it became more severe in the past week. Giddey missed the season finale in Philadelphia as well as the previous two games.
Giddey averaged a triple-double against the Heat this season. He averaged 26.0 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 10.0 assists in three games against Miami. He shot 58.3 percent from the field and 53.3 percent from three-point range. Giddey has been playing well since the All-Star break. He has averaged 21.2 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 9.3 assists over the last 19 games and 14.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.6 assists per game for the season.
The Heat ended a six-game winning streak by dropping their last four games, while the Bulls have won three straight and six of seven. In Miami's regular-season finale loss to the Washington Wizards, Jaime Jaquez Jr. recorded a career-high 41 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists.
With nothing to gain in terms of playoff positioning, Tyler Herro didn’t play in the season finale. Herro averages career-highs in points (23.9) and assists (5.5). Herro averaged 24.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 6.3 assists in three games against Chicago this season. Bam Adebayo, who also didn’t play against Washington, averages 18.1 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. Adebayo averaged 21 points and 6.7 boards against the Bulls this season.
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COACH RICK FREE PICK:
HEAT OVER 109.5
There was an uptick in the Miami offense over the last portion of the regular season. For the season, Miami averaged a very pedestrian 110.6 points per game, good for 24th in the NBA. Over their last 10 games, however, the Heat averaged 120.6. Miami scored 111 or more points in 12 of their last 14 games. In three games against the Bulls this year, Miami went Over this team total twice and just missed with 109 in the third. The Heat have gone Over this number in 6 of the last 7 against Chicago, averaging 113 points. Chicago likes to play at a faster pace and the Bulls defense ranks 28th in the league giving up 119.4 points per game.
