The Miami Heat host the Chicago Bulls Friday night in the final matchup of the Eastern Conference play-in tournament. Whoever wins the game will lock in the East's eighth seed and face the Boston Celtics in round one.
Miami is fighting an uphill battle, as they will be without their top performer Jimmy Butler. The All-Star forward suffered an MCL injury against the Philadelphia 76ers Wednesay, and has already been ruled out.
As for the Bulls, they too could be without a pair of key rotation players. Veterans Alex Caruso and Andre Drummond are listed as questionable for Friday's finale.
Before the two teams face off, here's a look at how they fared in the season series:
Explore the NBA Draft 2024 with our free NBA Mock Draft Simulator & be the GM of your favorite NBA team.
- Nov. 18, 2023 Bulls defeat Heat 102-97 in Chicago
- Nov. 20, 2023 Heat defeat Bulls 118-100 in Chicago
- Dec. 14, 2023 Bulls defeat Heat 124-116 in Miami
- Dec 16, 2023, Heat defeat Bulls 118-116 in Miami
Chicago Bulls vs Miami Heat stats and top performers
With Zach LaVine out due to injury, the Chicago Bulls are led by DeMar DeRozan and Coby White.
The veteran forward has put together another All-Star-level season. Meanwhile, the former lottery pick had a breakout campaign and is a favorite for Most Improved player.
Typically, Jimmy Butler would be listed as one of the top performers for the Miami Heat. As he's sidelined for Friday's matchup, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro will be tasked with leading the charge. Here's a look at how each of these players fare in the regular season.
Chicago Bulls vs Miami Heat last 5 game results:
Chicago Bulls last five game results
The Chicago Bulls have been up and down over their last five games. In their first play-in matchup, they had a dominant 131-116 over the Atlanta Hawks.
To close the regular season, the Bulls suffered a 120-119 loss to the New York Knicks in overtime. Before that, Chicago won back-to-back games against the Washington Wizards and the Detroit Pistons after a second loss to the Knicks that week.
Miami Heat last five game results
The Heat had a competitve matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers in their play-in game, but things didn't go their way. They ended up suffering a one-point defeat by a final score of 105-104.
Miami ended the regular season on a good note, winning three of its last four games. The Heat took down the Atlanta Hawks in double overtime before losing to the Dallas Mavericks the next night.
The Heat finished their schedule with a mini-series against the Toronto Raptors. They ended up winning each game by double-digits.
How to watch Chicago Bulls vs Miami Heat?
For those looking to tune in to this play-in finale, it will air for a national audience on ESPN. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
Miami Heat Nation! You can check out the latest Miami Heat Schedule and dive into the Heat Depth Chart for NBA Season 2024-25.