Bulls vs Heat Odds, Spread and Picks
- The Bulls visit the Heat on Saturday, December 11th
- Chicago is a 1-point road underdog
- Find the odds, analysis, and best bet below
The depleted Chicago Bulls take a trip down to South Beach on Saturday, December 11th to face the Miami Heat. Tip-off is set for 8pm ET at FTX Arena.
Chicago fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night, while the Heat managed to beat the Milwaukee Bucks, despite missing Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.
These two teams previously met on November 27th, with Miami winning 107-104 in the Windy City.
Bulls vs Heat Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bulls | +1 (-110) | -104 | OFF |
| Miami Heat | -1 (-110) | -112 | OFF |
Odds as of December 10th at FanDuel.
The Heat enters this matchup as a slim 1-point favorite and has posted a 15-11 ATS record this season. Chicago on the other hand, is 17-9 ATS.
COVID-19 Hitting Bulls Hard
Coronavirus cases are starting to skyrocket across the NBA due to variants, but no team has been hit harder than the Bulls. DeMar DeRozan, Javonte Green, Matt Thomas, Derrick Jones, and Coby White are in the league’s health and safety protocols right now.
The most notable blow here for Chicago is DeRozan, who is enjoying a fantastic season. Nonetheless, all of these absences are a serious problem for Billy Donovan’s squad.
Chicago Bulls' Derrick Jones Jr. has entered the league's COVID-19 health and safety protocols, per @wojespn
He joins DeMar DeRozan, Coby White, Matt Thomas and Javonte Green in protocols pic.twitter.com/y0KYmhFxJI
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 9, 2021
Chicago’s depleted rotation was punished by Cleveland on Wednesday, losing in disappointing fashion. Zach LaVine led the way with 23 points, while Lonzo Ball and Nikola Vucevic also dropped 19 and 18, respectively.
The clear weakness in this contest was the lack of offensive output from the bench. The second unit failed to score through the first three quarters, with the likes of LaVine, Vooch, and Lonzo left to pick up the slack.
It was also the second-straight game that Alex Caruso missed, who is easily their best defender. His ability to lock down essentially any opponent is extremely valuable and without him on the court, the Bulls didn’t have the same firepower on the defensive end.
Caruso is still dealing with a hamstring injury but he’s listed as questionable for Saturday.
Before the loss to the Cavs, Chicago did win four straight games and still sit in second spot in the East with an impressive 17-9 record. They’re also 9-5 on the road this season.
Statement Win For Miami
While the Bulls are dealing with their fair share of problems, so is Miami. Butler re-injured his tailbone on Monday against the Grizzlies and hasn’t played since, while Adebayo is recovering from thumb surgery.
On top of that, Markieff Morris is still on the shelf after that nasty blindsided shove from Nikola Jokic.
Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Markieff Morris all out vs. Bulls, per Heat injury report. Duncan Robinson is probable with a left quad contusion.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) December 10, 2021
Nonetheless, the Heat came together as a unit and put together a fantastic performance against the defending champions on Wednesday. Kyle Lowry stepped up heavily, erupting for 22 points and dishing out 13 assists.
But, the biggest surprise of the night was Caleb Martin, who made just his second start of the campaign. The former Charlotte Hornets swingman showed out for 28 and was absolutely red-hot from downtown, going 6-for-8.
While it was a quiet night for Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson, the emergence of Martin proved to be huge. With arguably their two best players out in Bam and Butler, the contributions from role players like Martin are going to be extremely important for Miami as they look to stay afloat for the time being.
They know @Calebmartin14's name now. Multiple career highs will do that.
The Brief // @BioSteelSports pic.twitter.com/F3XgJ6vHY6
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) December 10, 2021
Overall, this was just a really good game for Erik Spoelstra’s group. They shot 47% from long range and 52% from the field and did a tremendous job of containing Giannis Antetokounmpo, who posted a mere 15 points. A statement victory against the reigning champs will certainly give the Heat lots of confidence heading into Saturday.
Bulls vs Heat Prediction
The spread is extremely close here, which means the moneyline is going to offer more value. Although the Bulls are a very solid team, their roster is just far too thin right now and I believe it’s going to hurt them again.
Take the Heat to collect another important victory on home court, with Lowry enjoying another standout performance.
Pick: Miami Heat -112
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Quinn Allen is a sports journalist, with a background and education in broadcast journalism (BCIT '17). He is a full-time associate editor at ClutchPoints by day, where he writes about soccer, baseball, basketball, football, and more. At night, Quinn is a frequent contributor at SBD.
