Bulls and Heat Face Off for No. 8 Seed
The Chicago Bulls take on the Miami Heat at Kaseya Center in an NBA Play-In Tournament game Friday night.
The Bulls (39-43 reg. season, 1-0 postseason) finished the regular season on shaky footing, but they appeared to be clicking on all cylinders during Wednesday's 131-116 Play-In victory over the Atlanta Hawks. Coby White led the Bulls with 42 points, adding nine rebounds, six assists and two steals. Nikola Vucevic generated a 24-point, 12-rebound double-double that included two assists. DeMar DeRozan furnished 22 points, nine assists, six rebounds, one steal and one block. Ayo Dosunmu totaled 19 points, three assists, one rebound and two blocks. Javonte Green supplied 10 points, six boards, four assists and one steal.
The Bulls will list Alex Caruso (ankle), Dosunmu (quadriceps) and Andre Drummond (ankle) as questionable for Friday's game. Julian Phillips (foot) will remain out.
The Heat (46-36 reg. season, 0-1 postseason) had a difficult Wednesday in Philadelphia for a variety of reasons, and as a result, they're now facing elimination Friday night. Miami blew a sizable lead to eventually drop a 105-104 decision, and they also saw Jimmy Butler suffer an MCL sprain that's projected to cost him multiple weeks. Against the 76ers, Tyler Herro led the way with 25 points, complementing them with nine assists and two rebounds. Butler supplied 19 points, five assists, four rebounds and five steals. Jaime Jaquez provided 15 points, five rebounds, two assists and one steal. Bam Adebayo and Kevin Love contributed matching 10-point efforts while adding 12 and two rebounds, respectively. Adebayo also turned in two blocks.
The Heat will be without Butler (knee) and Terry Rozier (neck) for Friday's game. Duncan Robinson (back) will carry a probable tag.
Friday's game marks the fifth meeting between the teams since the start of the regular season. Chicago and Miami have won two games apiece.
The Bulls (39-43 reg. season, 1-0 postseason) finished the regular season on shaky footing, but they appeared to be clicking on all cylinders during Wednesday's 131-116 Play-In victory over the Atlanta Hawks. Coby White led the Bulls with 42 points, adding nine rebounds, six assists and two steals. Nikola Vucevic generated a 24-point, 12-rebound double-double that included two assists. DeMar DeRozan furnished 22 points, nine assists, six rebounds, one steal and one block. Ayo Dosunmu totaled 19 points, three assists, one rebound and two blocks. Javonte Green supplied 10 points, six boards, four assists and one steal.
The Bulls will list Alex Caruso (ankle), Dosunmu (quadriceps) and Andre Drummond (ankle) as questionable for Friday's game. Julian Phillips (foot) will remain out.
The Heat (46-36 reg. season, 0-1 postseason) had a difficult Wednesday in Philadelphia for a variety of reasons, and as a result, they're now facing elimination Friday night. Miami blew a sizable lead to eventually drop a 105-104 decision, and they also saw Jimmy Butler suffer an MCL sprain that's projected to cost him multiple weeks. Against the 76ers, Tyler Herro led the way with 25 points, complementing them with nine assists and two rebounds. Butler supplied 19 points, five assists, four rebounds and five steals. Jaime Jaquez provided 15 points, five rebounds, two assists and one steal. Bam Adebayo and Kevin Love contributed matching 10-point efforts while adding 12 and two rebounds, respectively. Adebayo also turned in two blocks.
The Heat will be without Butler (knee) and Terry Rozier (neck) for Friday's game. Duncan Robinson (back) will carry a probable tag.
Friday's game marks the fifth meeting between the teams since the start of the regular season. Chicago and Miami have won two games apiece.
Pelicans Host Kings to Determine Eight-Seed
The New Orleans Pelicans play host to the Sacramento Kings in the NBA Play-In Tournament at Smoothie King Center on Friday.
This game will determine the eight-seed in the Western Conference. The loser's season will be over, and the winner will face the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Playoffs.
The Kings had one of their most impressive wins in their franchise history on Tuesday, blowing out the Golden State Warriors in the Play-In Tournament. That was an elimination game for Sacramento and to grab that win against a rival like the Warriors showed how much it really meant. The role players really came through in that win. Keegan Murray led the team with 32 points and nine rebounds, while Keon Ellis collected 15 points, four rebounds, five assists, three steals and three blocks. As long as those two play like that alongside Domantas Sabonis and De'Aaron Fox, this team can beat anyone on any given night.
The Pelicans suffered a nightmarish home loss on Tuesday, getting beaten by the Los Angeles Lakers in the Play-In Tourney. The good news is that New Orleans gets two chances to get into the real playoffs, but something terrible happened near the end of that game. Zion Williamson had to depart due to a leg injury, and he'll miss this game here. That's scary since Brandon Ingram played just 24 minutes in that game, making his return from a knee injury as well. If those guys aren't healthy, this could be a tough task for the Pelicans.
These teams played five times during the regular season, with New Orleans winning all five matchups. They actually won by nearly 20 points per game.
This game will determine the eight-seed in the Western Conference. The loser's season will be over, and the winner will face the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Playoffs.
The Kings had one of their most impressive wins in their franchise history on Tuesday, blowing out the Golden State Warriors in the Play-In Tournament. That was an elimination game for Sacramento and to grab that win against a rival like the Warriors showed how much it really meant. The role players really came through in that win. Keegan Murray led the team with 32 points and nine rebounds, while Keon Ellis collected 15 points, four rebounds, five assists, three steals and three blocks. As long as those two play like that alongside Domantas Sabonis and De'Aaron Fox, this team can beat anyone on any given night.
The Pelicans suffered a nightmarish home loss on Tuesday, getting beaten by the Los Angeles Lakers in the Play-In Tourney. The good news is that New Orleans gets two chances to get into the real playoffs, but something terrible happened near the end of that game. Zion Williamson had to depart due to a leg injury, and he'll miss this game here. That's scary since Brandon Ingram played just 24 minutes in that game, making his return from a knee injury as well. If those guys aren't healthy, this could be a tough task for the Pelicans.
These teams played five times during the regular season, with New Orleans winning all five matchups. They actually won by nearly 20 points per game.