The Miami Heat will try to build on another deep playoff run when they face the Chicago Bulls in their season opener on Wednesday night. Miami is opening the season with a four-game homestand that includes an Eastern Conference finals rematch with Boston on Friday night. Chicago is coming off a promising campaign, returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2017.
Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. Miami is favored by 7.5-points in the latest Heat vs. Bulls odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under is set at 216.5. Before entering any Bulls vs. Heat picks, you'll want to see the NBA predictions from the advanced computer model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past three-plus seasons. The model finished the 2021-22 season on a stunning 88-60 roll on all top-rated NBA picks, returning over $2,100. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Heat vs. Bulls. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for Heat vs. Bulls:
- Heat vs. Bulls spread: Heat -7.5
- Heat vs. Bulls over/under: 216.5 points
- Heat vs. Bulls picks: See picks here
Why the Heat can cover
Miami has dominated Chicago in recent years, winning 11 of the last 13 meetings. The Heat swept all four games last year, winning the final three games by an average of 19 points. They are led by All-Star forward Jimmy Butler, who averaged 21.4 points per game last season, nearly leading his team to the NBA Finals for the second time in three years.
Guard Tyler Herro received a four-year, $130 million contract extension after winning the league's Sixth Man of the Year last season. Herro is part of a Miami lineup that includes Butler, Caleb Martin, Kyle Lowry and Bam Adebayo. Miami is 10-3 in its last 13 home games, while Chicago went 2-8 in its final 10 games last season.
Why the Bulls can cover
Chicago has momentum entering the season after returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2017 before exiting in the first round against Milwaukee. The Bulls are going to be without injured point guard Lonzo Ball, but they still have an All-Star trio of DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic. Second-year point guard Ayo Dosunmu is expected to start in Ball's place on Wednesday night.
Dosunmu played in 77 games last season, averaging 8.8 points, 3.3 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game, starting 40 of those games. Power forward Patrick Williams was limited to 17 games last season due to a wrist injury, but he's expected to start in this game. The Bulls are going to be motivated to pick up a win against a team that they have struggled with over the last few seasons.
How to make Bulls vs. Heat picks
The model has simulated Heat vs. Bulls 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Over, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 50% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Bulls vs. Heat? And which side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Heat vs. Bulls spread you need to jump on Wednesday, all from the model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.
