Bulls vs. Heat Betting (Oct. 19): Can the Heat Open the Season with a Win at Home?

The 2022-23 NBA season kicked off on Tuesday night and the action continues on Wednesday. The Oct. 19 slate of games looks fairly exciting, including an Eastern Conference collision between the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat.

Bulls list Zach LaVine questionable for opener vs. Heat because of left knee injury management. Alex Caruso is probable with a left calf contusion. Lonzo Ball obviously is out.

— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) October 18, 2022

Heat now listing Victor Oladipo (knee) and Omer Yurtseven (ankle) as out for Wednesday's opener vs. visiting Bulls.

— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) October 18, 2022

The Bulls hoped for a deep playoff run last season, only to be eliminated by the Milwaukee Bucks, 4-1, in Round 1. A victory on Wednesday would help the fans and team move forward, however, that might be easier said than done if Chicago is forced to be without Zach LaVine, who’s dealing with a knee injury.

Meanwhile, the Heat managed to silence their doubters by making a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals last postseason. Erik Spoelstra’s squad is looking to make even more noise this season, so expect them to come out swinging tonight.

There’s a lot to take in before Wednesday’s Bulls vs Heat game. Fortunately, Betting News has gathered the game’s odds while also having a prediction and best bet for tonight’s contest.

Chicago Bulls vs Miami Heat Matchup Information and Betting Odds

Matchup Information

• Matchup: Chicago Bulls (0-0, 0-0 Away) vs. Miami Heat (0-0, 0-0 Home)
• Venue & Location: FTX Arena (Miami, Florida)
• Date: Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022
• Game Time: 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time
• Bulls vs Heat Info: NBC League Pass, NBC Sports Chicago

Bulls vs Heat Early Odds

Game odds are via BetOnline as of Wednesday, Oct. 19 at 10:24 a.m. ET. Odds from other top online sportsbooks may also be mentioned in this article.

Spread

• Chicago Bulls +7 (-110)
• Miami Heat -7 (-110)

Over/Under

• Over 216 Points (-108)
• Under 216 Points (-112)

Moneyline

• Chicago Bulls +235
• Miami Heat -290

Chicago Bulls vs Miami Heat Betting Trends

• Chicago is 1-8 straight up in its last nine games against Miami.
• Miami is 10-3 straight up in its last 13 home games.
• Chicago is 3-7 against the spread (ATS) in its last 10 games.
• Miami is 6-1 ATS in its last seven games against Chicago.
• The total has hit the over in six of Chicago’s last seven road games.
• The total has hit the under in 12 of Miami’s last 18 games.

Chicago Bulls vs Miami Heat Prediction and Picks

Bulls vs Heat Prediction: Heat 113, Bulls 102

Bulls vs Heat Picks: Heat -7 (Best Value: -110 at BetOnline) & Under 216 Points (Best Value: -108 at BetOnline)

Some teams just have another’s number and that’s the case heading into tonight’s game. The Heat are an impressive 8-1 in their last nine games against the Bulls and have only lost twice to Chicago at home since the start of the 2017-18 season.

The Heat’s dominance over the Bulls includes winning all four of last season’s meetings. Miami defeated Chicago by an average final score of 116 to 101, proving just how one-sided the season series truly was.

Now, the Heat sit at -290 to continue their success against the Bulls. That translates to an implied probability of 74.4%. In other words, there’s a good chance that Miami will be victorious to begin the 2022-23 campaign.

It also helps that the Bulls might be without LaVine, as mentioned before. The 27-year-old wing player’s 24.4 points per game last season trailed only DeMar DeRozan (27.9 PPG), so being without LaVine would make winning difficult — especially with starting point guard Lonzo Ball also sidelined for the foreseeable future.

Should the Bulls expect Zach LaVine to achieve superstar status this season? pic.twitter.com/w90tov9zak

— Bulls Talk (@NBCSBulls) October 17, 2022

If the Bulls are to win, newcomers like Goran Dragic must step up while younger guys like Ayo Dosunmu and Patrick Williams need to take their game to the next level.

Nevertheless, beating the Heat won’t be easy, especially if the Bulls are without LaVine. Miami only gave up 104.6 PPG last season, ranking second-best in the Association. Throw in the fact that the Heat also held the Bulls to fewer than 100 points twice last season and it’s easy to see why there’s a cause for concern.

Miami did own a bottom-11 offense last season, so getting more offensive help is a must. Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro are all more than capable of scoring the ball, but the supporting cast (Caleb Martin, Duncan Robinson, etc.) must carry their own weight too.

I truly feel that the Heat are the deeper, more talented team here and will wind up winning this matchup. The Bulls have a lot to prove after last year’s disappointing run and potentially being without LaVine will make things that much more difficult.

With how much the Heat dominated the 2021-22 season series, they shouldn’t have an issue covering the 7-point spread — something they did in three of four matchups against the Bulls last year.

A 216-point projected total isn’t that big, however, I’m backing the under. All but one of last season’s Bulls vs Heat matchup finished below that total. I’m expecting that trend to continue again considering how neither team is an offensive powerhouse.

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