- Miami Heat defeated Chicago Bulls 109:90 in the Eastern Conference play-in clash between the 9th and 10th seeds
- Tyler Herro exploded for 38 points, with Wiggins, Adebayo, and Mitchell also contributing strongly
- Miami needs one more win to reach the NBA Playoffs and will face the Atlanta Hawks on April 19
Key Takeaways:
Miami Heat are now one step closer to securing a place in the NBA Playoffs. Erik Spoelstra’s players saw off the Chicago Bulls with a convincing 109:90 win in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament matchup between the ninth and tenth seeds. At the United Center, the Florida side found a way to dominate from the very beginning and never encountered difficulties against Billy Donovan’s team.
The Heat now need just one more win to move into the main elimination phase of the playoffs. Miami will visit the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday, April 19, with the winner advancing to the next round, while Chicago’s season is officially over.
Got the win vs. Chicago that mattered ☑️ pic.twitter.com/mIfEd7QOzt
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) April 17, 2025
Tyler Herro and Andrew Wiggins were at the core of the visitors’ early momentum, helping their team build a double-digit lead almost immediately. Josh Giddey emerged as the lone offensive alternative for the home side, but Herro was on fire and with deadly accuracy from beyond the arc made sure the Heat were ahead by 11 after the first quarter.
Miami didn’t slow down in the second period, especially on the offensive end, and increased their advantage even more through Bam Adebayo, Duncan Robinson, and Herro. The Bulls could only respond with sporadic flashes from Nikola Vucevic and Coby White, while the Heat remained steady and went into halftime leading 71:47. In the second half, the Bulls’ inconsistency remained, and the rest of the match played out as a formality.
Tyler Herro erupted for Miami with 38 points and 5 rebounds. Andrew Wiggins finished with 20 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 three-pointers. Bam Adebayo (12 rebounds) and Davion Mitchell (9 assists) both scored 12 points.
Josh Giddey led Chicago with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Coby White recorded 17 points and 5 assists, Nikola Vucevic added 16 points and 12 rebounds, while Kevin Huerter contributed 10 points.