Miami Heat vs Chicago Bulls Prediction, 3/12/2021 NBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Miami Heat vs Chicago Bulls

Date: Friday, March 12, 2021

Location: United Center in Chicago, IL

TV: NBC Sports Chicago

Odds/Point Spread: Miami (-2.5)

The Miami Heat (18-18) head to United Center on Friday where they'll meet the Chicago Bulls (16-18). The spread on this contest has Miami as 2.5-point favorites. The over/under has been set at 226.5.

The Miami Heat stepped onto the hardwood against the New Orleans Pelicans and earned the victory with a final of 103-93 in their last contest. Miami ended the game with a 49.3% FG percentage (36 out of 73) and buried 10 out of their 30 shots from beyond the arc. At the free throw line, the Heat made 21 of their 25 tries for a rate of 84.0%. In reference to rebounding, they earned 41 with 5 of them being of the offensive variety. They also dished out 27 assists in the matchup in addition to creating 12 turnovers and earning 6 steals. In the matter of defending, Miami let their opponent shoot 39.3% from the field on 33 of 84 shooting. New Orleans recorded 28 assists and had 5 steals for this game. Furthermore, New Orleans collected 44 rebounds (15 offensive, 29 defensive) and got 3 blocks. New Orleans ended up going 80.0% when shooting free throws by knocking down 16 of 20 shots. They converted 11 of their 43 shots from downtown.

Jimmy Butler is a guy who played a role in the matchup. He accumulated 29 points on 10 of 14 shooting. He was on the court for 34:03 minutes played and totaled 3 rebounds. Butler went 71.4% from the field and also distributed 9 assists. Someone else that was a major contributor in the game for the Heat was Kelly Olynyk. He snagged 10 rebounds in his 36:45 min on the court. He shot 87.5% from the field in the matchup via 7-of-8 (18 points). When all was said and done, Olynyk had 7 assists.

Miami comes into this game with a win-loss mark of 18-18 on the year. The Heat are shooting 35.3% on 3-point shots (460 of 1,304) and 79.5% from the charity stripe. They have an average of 106.8 pts per game (26th in the NBA) while hitting 46.2% from the field. They lose possession by turning the ball over 15.7 times per game and as a team are committing 19.6 fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Miami is pulling down 42.4 rebounds per game and has earned 929 dimes this year, which has them ranked 8th in the league in terms of passing. On the defensive end of the court, the Heat are forcing their opponents into 15.3 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 20.9 personal fouls. They are giving up 36.2% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they rank 5th in basketball in PPG from their opponents (108.4). The Heat defense is allowing an opponent FG percentage of 44.6% (549 of 751) and they surrender 43.6 rebounds per game as a squad. They currently rank 21st in the league in giving up assists with 913 conceded on the campaign.

In their last game, the Chicago Bulls walked away with a victory by a final of 128-124 when they faced the New Orleans Pelicans. The Bulls corralled 32 defensive boards and 13 offensive rebounds for a total of 45 in this game. They also coughed it up 14 times, while getting 6 steals for this game. The Pelicans were called for 19 fouls for this contest which got the Bulls to the charity stripe for 22 attempts. They were able to bury 20 of those for a clip of 90.9%. When it comes to shooting from beyond the arc, Chicago buried 12 out of their 28 attempts (42.9%). When the final whistle blew, the Bulls ended up shooting 48 out of 94 from the field which had them shooting 51.1%. The Bulls permitted the Pelicans to convert 46 out of their 83 attempts from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 55.4% for the matchup. They went 27.3% from beyond the perimeter by shooting 6 out of 22 and ended up shooting 26 of 38 from the free throw line (68.4%). Regarding cleaning up the glass, Chicago permitted New Orleans to get 35 in total (7 on the offensive side).

Zach LaVine pitched in for the Bulls in the game. He made 12 out of 19 in this game giving him a rate of 63.2%, and had 2 rebounds. LaVine scored 36 points in his 35:01 mins of playing time and accumulated 8 assists in this matchup. Another guy that was important for Chicago was Coby White. He came away with 3 assists in his 32:47 minutes played, and he knocked down 8 of 16 from the floor. White ended the game having shot 50.0% from the field while also collecting 25 points and 2 rebounds.

Chicago has a win-loss mark of 16-18 so far this year. As an offense, the Bulls are shooting 48.6% from the floor, which ranks 3rd in the NBA. Chicago has scored 3,910 pts for the season (115.0 per game) and they collect 44.2 rebounds per contest. They are assisting teammates 26.2 times per contest (8th in basketball) and they turn it over 16.0 times per game. The Bulls commit 20.1 fouls per game and they go 80.0% from the charity stripe. The Bulls are ranked 25th in the NBA in points allowed per game with 115.2. The Chicago defense gives up 35.2% on shots from beyond the arc (391 of 1,111) and opponents are connecting on 77.5% of their shots from the free throw line. They relinquish 23.9 assists and 42.7 boards per game, which has them ranked 9th and 11th in the NBA. They are forcing their opponents into 13.9 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 47.6% from the floor (25th in basketball).

So what is Tonights Parlay prediction?

Parlay's Pundit's Pick: Take Chicago (+2.5) and over 226.5 points

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