NBA Picks: Chicago Bulls vs. Miami Heat

LeBron James is expected to play in Friday night's game at AmericanAirlines Arena after participating in a shoot around, as the Miami Heat (22-8) prepare to host the Chicago Bulls (17-13).

The opening tip scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Sports bettors will find that the Heat are eight-point home favorites in the NBA betting odds (courtesy of SBR Forum), while the total stands at 191 in the market.

James averaged 31.8 points per game in four meetings against the Bulls a year ago, but Miami tallied a disappointing 1-3 against-the-spread (ATS) record in those contests.

Let's take a closer look at this Eastern Conference showdown from a betting perspective, while offering a prediction on the total along the way.

Chicago Bulls

The Chicago Bulls have alternated wins and losses over their last four games—coming off a 96-94 victory over the Orlando Magic as three-point road favorites Wednesday.

Sports bettors will find that the Bulls are 7-1 on the road against Eastern Conference opponents, but have gone 0-2 ATS as road underdogs of 6.5 to 9 points.

Miami Heat

The Miami Heat have won back-to-back games since suffering a two-game losing streak, but have failed to cover the spread in that span.

Offensively, the team has scored 100 or more points in 15-of-17 games at AmericanAirlines Arena, but the UNDER is 5-2 when playing as home favorites of 6.5 to 9 points this season.

Prediction

I'm going to recommend that readers play the total as one of their pro basketball picks Friday night, as the UNDER is 4-1 in the last five meetings in this Eastern Conference series.


NBA Pick: Under 191

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