These 2 teams are here again. Just last season they faced off in identical circumstances, with the Miami Heat falling to the Atlanta Hawks and the Chicago Bulls overcoming the Toronto Raptors. This time around the Heat were taken out by the 76ers, with Jimmy Butler being ruled out for several weeks in the process. The Bulls on the other hand overcame the Hawks, and will be looking to avenge last seasons def eat. They do not want to be sent home early again. So let’s dive straight into my same game parlay for the action.
Chicago Bulls ML over Miami Heat (+106)
The injury to Butler is immense for the potential outcome of this game. It not only takes away one of their main defenders that can help contain DeMar DeRozan, but it also really limits their scoring options. The Heat have seen their play drop off without their star, going 13-9 in games without him. With so much on the line here, his experience would have been crucial. There really was not much between these teams in the regular season too, with a 2-2 score and both teams getting road wins. The Heat finished the season just 21st in offensive rating. With the Bulls offense seemingly clicking into gear in their last game against the Hawks, scoring 131 points, it could be hard to see the Heat keeping pace here. Momentum should be factored in too. Bulls are coming into this after a dominant win while the Heat suffered a tight loss and loss their star player in the process. I'm going with the Bulls in this one.
DeMar DeRozan 1+ made threes (-185)
If you have not been watching the NBA over the last few years, you would be surprised to hear that DeRozan shoots threes now. He had seemingly stopped doing so while playing for the San Antonio Spurs, but his 2.8 attempts per game this season is higher than any from his time with the Bulls. He is respectably accurate too, knocking down 33.3% of them. And its worth noting that he loves shooting against the Heat. This season he knocked down an incredible 46.2% of attempts against them. At that clip, it is no surprise that he knocked down at least 1 in each game against them. I do not see why this would change in this one, especially without Butler out there to pester him.
DeMar DeRozan 6+ assists (-105)
DeRozan can assume a play making role on the Bulls too. With the ability of Coby White to shoot from deep, he does play like a shooting guard, leaving DeRozan to draw the attention and dish it out to him. He recorded a team high 9 assists in the last game against the Hawks. I would not be surprised to see the Heat trying to force the ball out of his hands tonight too. The Bulls star averaged 17.2 field goal attempts per game this season, but did not shoot more than 13 in any contest against the Heat. The Bulls will want him to have the ball in his hands, and the Heat will likely look to double him to force it out. That should create opportunities for his teammates to be aggressive and rack up assists for the star.