Chicago Bulls (40-42, ninth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Miami Heat (44-38, eighth in the Eastern Conference)
Miami; Friday, 7 p.m. EDT
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FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK NBA LINE: Heat -5.5; over/under is 209.5
PLAY-IN GAME: The Heat and Bulls square off to decide the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.
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BOTTOM LINE: The Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls meet for the NBA Playoffs Play-In Tournament. The winner secures the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs.
The Heat have gone 24-28 against Eastern Conference teams. Miami is 14-8 in games decided by less than 4 points.
The Bulls are 27-25 in conference matchups. Chicago is ninth in the Eastern Conference scoring 48.4 points per game in the paint led by Nikola Vucevic averaging 9.6.
Sports
TOP PERFORMERS: Bam Adebayo is averaging 20.4 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists for the Heat. Jimmy Butler is averaging 17.7 points and 5.6 assists over the past 10 games for Miami.
Vucevic is averaging 17.6 points, 11 rebounds and 3.2 assists for the Bulls. Zach LaVine is averaging 21.9 points and 4.8 assists over the past 10 games for Chicago.
LAST 10 GAMES: Heat: 6-4, averaging 113.0 points, 38.3 rebounds, 26.9 assists, 6.7 steals and 2.1 blocks per game while shooting 49.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 110.8 points per game.
Bulls: 6-4, averaging 112.8 points, 40.1 rebounds, 26.5 assists, 9.3 steals and 4.7 blocks per game while shooting 50.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 106.8 points.
INJURIES: Heat: Nikola Jovic: out (back).
Bulls: Justin Lewis: out for season (knee), Lonzo Ball: out for season (knee).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
