Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat will be taking on Zach LaVine and the Chicago Bulls for the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs tonight. Despite having proven themselves as contenders in the conference over the past few years, the Heat has fallen short this season and are not struggling to even make it into the playoffs.
They will have to get past the Chicago Bulls, who managed to beat the Toronto Raptors on the road in order to keep their postseason hopes alive. As both these teams get ready to face off for the final spot in the playoffs, fans should certainly want to know the injury reports, expected rosters, expert predictions, and other details heading into this game.
Jimmy Butler looks healthy for the Miami Heat vs Chicago Bulls game tonight
Thankfully for Heat fans, Jimmy is expected to play tonight against the Bulls. While he missed the team practice due to personal reasons, he is still going to suit up against Chicago. His team will undoubtedly need him since he has been averaging 22.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.3 assists this season.
Even in Butler does play, which he is expected to do, he will not be the only player on the court influencing the outcome of this match. With that being said, here are the complete injury reports and expected rosters for this game.
Miami Heat injury report
- Jimmy Butler (probable)
- Kyle Lowry (questionable)
- Gabe Vincent (questionable)
- Nikola Jovic (out)
Miami Heat expected roster
- Jimmy Butler
- Tyler Herro
- Duncan Robinson
- Max Strus
- Bam Adebayo
Chicago Bulls injury report
- Lonzo Ball (out)
- Justin Lewis (out)
Chicago Bulls expected roster
- Patrick Beverley
- Alex Caruso
- Zach LaVine
- DeMar DeRozan
- Nikola Vucevic
As we can tell, Butler is listed on the injury report. However, he is still expected to play tonight. Both Gabe Vincent and Kyle Lowry also look compromised for this game. On the other hand, the Bulls look relatively healthy with the exception of Lonzo Ball. Finally, here are the expert predictions for this game.
The Heat are slightly favored over the Bulls tonight
Although this is still expected to be a very close game, we have to side with the Miami Heat for this matchup. They are coming off an unexpected and stunning loss to the Atlanta Hawks, something that has put them in this win-or-be-eliminated game. They will also be hungry for a win and looking to get this important one over the Bulls.
Some NBA fans might be aware that Jimmy used to be a former Chicago Bulls player. Therefore, he might be looking to prove something against his old team. Since the Miami Heat has a homecourt advantage for this game and the more experienced squad, we expect them to win.