Chicago looks to cover the Bulls-Heat pointspread on Thursday and improve its overall 31-22 mark when they host Miami in NBA action.

This season the Bulls are 31-22 overall and 23-30 ATS against the number, while the Heat are 37-14 and 27-24 ATS. (Note: follow us on Twitter for line updates and injuries news). As for the totals, Chicago is 23-30 on the OU, and Miami is 26-25.



View Miami vs Chicago Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Oddsmakers at Sportsbook opened the Bulls as 3-point underdogs in this matchup earlier today, while the OVER/UNDER line was sitting around 188.5 earlier at Sportsbook.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Odds Shark Power Rankings have the Bulls at No. 6 and the Heat at No. 11 heading into this contest. Handicapping models run by the computers at Odds Shark project a 103-98 result in favor of the Heat.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Chicago's No. 28-ranked offense (93.2 PPG) against a Heat defense that ranks No. 12 at 96.7 PPG. The Bulls have averaged 43.9% from the field per game, less than the Heat have managed so far this season (49.3% on average).

Defensively, the Heat feature the league's No. 9-rated defense on the road, giving up 96.8 points per game. Chicago, meanwhile, comes in at No. 29 in the league in scoring at home.

Last time out for Miami, they were a 103-90 Sportsbook as they battled the Hawks on the road. The Heat covered in the match as a 5.5-point favorite, while 193 combined points moved the game UNDER for totals bettors. LeBron James scored 24 points and chipped in with 11 assists for Miami on Wednesday, leading the Heat to a 103-90 victory over Atlanta at Philips Arena.

The Bulls were a 96-87 Sportsbook in their most recent outing on the road against the Hornets. They covered the 1-point spread as favorites, while the total score (183) made Sportsbooks of OVER bettors. The Bulls grabbed a 96-87 win over the Hornets on Tuesday, behind a 20-point effort from Luol Deng at New Orleans Arena.


Miami Heat Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 6-4
Before playing Philadelphia are 6-4
After playing Atlanta are 8-2
After a win are 8-2

Chicago Bulls Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 8-2
Before playing Charlotte are 8-2
After playing New Orleans are 8-2
After a win are 5-5

A few Heat at Bulls trends to consider:
Miami is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Miami's last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Miami's last 6 games when playing Chicago
Miami is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chicago's last 6 games when playing Miami
Chicago is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Chicago's last 8 games at home
Chicago is 12-4 SU in its last 16 games when playing at home against Miami


Next up:
Miami at Philadelphia, Saturday, February 23
Chicago at Charlotte, Friday, February 22