Are the Bulls eliminated if they lose against the Heat in the play-in game?
The final Play-in games will determine which teams advance to the Playoffs and which teams will conclude their season.
A place in each Conference remains up for grabs as the final game of the three matches that composes the NBA Play-in tournament in the Eastern Conference is scheduled for South Florida on Friday night as Miami Heat face Chicago Bulls.
A No. 8 seed in the Playoffs is on the line for the winner and a chance to meet high flying Boston Celtics with the team from ‘Beantown’ tipped by many as top candidates to win the championship. The loser sees the curtain come down on the 2023-24 season with the game a real ‘do or die’ match-up.
Bulls looking to stun Kaseya Center
Chicago earned their place in the third game of the Play-in series by virtue of a 131-116 victory over the visiting Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night as Coby White the star player for the Bulls securing a career best 42 points.
Speaking ahead of Friday’s game, White stated: “It’s going to be a junkyard fight, a dogfight. “We know Miami, they know us. ... We have to come in ready to compete and leave it all on the floor.”
Bulls guard Alex Caruso is questionable with a sprained left ankle. He sustained the injury when teammate Andre Drummond was running up court and stepped on his ankle. Drummond himself and Ayo Dosunmu (quadricep) also are questionable and played Wednesday despite their injuries.
“We’ve got guys on the team when the lights come on and they are bright, they step up to the challenge,” Caruso said. “I’ve had moments like that in my career; DeMar countless numbers. (Nikola Vucevic) has played playoff basketball.”
“I think that’s one of great strengths that we do have guys who can go off any given night. Coby’s put in the work. It’s not surprising for us because we know how good he can be and that’s how confident we want him to play all the time.”