The Bulls will look to do well in the 9/10 play-in game for the third consecutive season.
When the Chicago Bulls traded Zach LaVine away back in February and received their 2025 first-round pick in return, many thought that the Bulls were going to play for lottery balls instead of pushing for the playoffs in the final two months of the season. However, they’ve played above .500 basketball since the LaVine trade, going 17-14 — including a red-hot 15-7 record since the calendar flipped to March which was buoyed by some stellar play from Josh Giddey.
This strong play from the Bulls cemented their place in the play-in tournament, their third consecutive appearance in the tournament. Now, there is at least a glimmer of hope surrounding the franchise. In addition to Giddey’s strong performances as of late, Coby White and Matas Buzelis have also been brilliant, giving Chicago a nice young core to combat the 10th-seeded Miami Heat with in their looming elimination game on Wednesday.
With the game being held in United Center, the odds are in the Bulls’ favor. But in a single-game elimination setting, anything can happen, which means that they must lock in if they were to keep their season alive.
With that said, here are a few bold predictions for how the Bulls will perform in their 9/10 play-in tournament matchup against the Heat.
Josh Giddey drops 30-10-10+ triple-double
Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images
The improvement Josh Giddey has shown in the middle of the season proves that the Bulls may have been on to something when they targeted him as the lone return in the Alex Caruso trade. Giddey looked a bit lost to start the season, deferring to Zach LaVine and Coby White, looking more like the man who was being marginalized in the Oklahoma City Thunder offense for much of last season.
Ever since the LaVine trade, however, Giddey has been a different animal. He’s averaged 20.0 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 8.3 assists in 23 games since the trade, and he did so on stellar shooting splits of 49/46/81 — efficiency levels that Giddey hasn’t reached in the past. But at only 22 years of age, there is a chance that these improvements stick, giving the Bulls a legitimate rising star to build the team around.
Giddey is no stranger to the play-in tournament; back in 2023, he played well for the Thunder in their 9/10 play-in tournament game triumph over the New Orleans Pelicans, putting up 31 points, nine rebounds, and 10 assists in a 123-118 victory. However, Giddey followed that up with a huge stinker, going just 2-13 from the field in a blowout loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, ending their season.
This would at least give Giddey extra motivation to do well against the Heat. And to his credit, he performed like a superstar in the Bulls’ most recent matchup against Miami, putting up 28 points, 16 rebounds, and 12 assists in a 119-111 win. Expect Giddey to try and one-up himself on Wednesday night by putting up a game with at least 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Bulls hold Tyler Herro to fewer than 20 points
David Banks-Imagn Images
The key for the Bulls will be to hold down the fort defensively against a Heat team that has struggled to score the basketball in recent months. Stopping All-Star guard Tyler Herro will be key, although that will be easier said than done for a team that finished 19th in defensive rating this past season.
But this piece isn’t talking about bold predictions for nothing. It’s not likely at all for Herro to score fewer than 20; he only scored under 20 points in 21 out of 77 games, with his most recent such game coming back on March 21 when he scored just eight points.
The looming threat of a Herro explosion is what should scare the Bulls the most, and they must do their best to prevent him from getting into any sort of rhythm tomorrow night.
Chicago escapes the 9/10 game for the third consecutive year
The Bulls, to their credit, have done well for themselves in the play-in tournament. They have come close to making the playoffs as the eighth-seed despite being in less than ideal circumstances, winning the 9/10 play-in game in 2023 and 2024, doing so despite being on the road two years ago.
Beyond being at home, the Bulls have also taken care of business against the Heat all season long, going 3-0 against them in the regular season. They have presented a bad matchup for the Heat, and they will look to carry over this level of play on Wednesday — booking themselves in a battle against the Atlanta Hawks for the eighth-seed and the right to face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the NBA playoffs.