Miami Heat vs Chicago Bulls Prediction, Preview and Odds - 01/08/2026

Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Thursday, January 8, 2026

Venue:  United Center, Chicago, IL

Where to Watch:  NBA TV

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Heat -5.5, Bulls +5.5; Over/Under:  241.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Heat -5.5, Bulls +5.5; Over/Under:  241.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Heat -6.5, Bulls +6.5; Over/Under:  241.5 points

Miami Heat:  20-17 (2nd place, Southeast Division)

Chicago Bulls:  17-19 (3rd place, Central Division)

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Miami Heat:  5-5 last 10

Chicago Bulls:  6-4 last 10

The Heat are entering this game with a 20-17 record overall this season and they are 7-11 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Norman Powell led the team in points in that game with 21 while Tyler Herro was next on the team with 17 points. Davion Mitchell led the team in assists in that game with 9 while Bam Adebayo and Kel'el Ware each led the team in rebounds with 11. They were 35.7% from the field, 32.4% from 3-point range, and 75% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 120.1 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 117.4 PPG against them. The Heat have an ATS record of 21-16 this season and their O/U record is 17-20.

The Bulls are entering this game with a 17-19 record overall this season and they are 10-9 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game on a 2 game losing streak with losses coming against the Charlotte Hornets and the Boston Celtics, but this is also the 2nd game of a back-to-back for them with their game against the Detroit Pistons still to be played on Tuesday night. In their game against the Celtics, Matas Buzelis led the team in points in that game with 26 while Nikola Vučević and Ayo Dosunmu each were next on the team with 15 points. Nikola Vučević led the team in assists in that game with 7 while Nikola Vučević led the team in rebounds with 15. They were 44.2% from the field, 34.8% from 3-point range, and 90% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 117.8 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 121.6 PPG against them. The Bulls have an ATS record of 18-18 this season and their O/U record is 16-20.

The current betting odds have the Heat listed as a 5.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Heat have looked good in their games this season with their 20-17 record overall which has them in the top half of the East. They haven't been a great road team though with their 7-11 road record this season. Meanwhile, the Bulls haven't looked great in their games this season with their 17-19 record overall which has them in the bottom half of the East. They have looked a lot better on their home court this year with their 10-9 home record. The Bulls had one of the hottest starts to the NBA season and even found themselves at the top of the NBA through the first few games, but they have fallen off over the last 2 months and don't even have a winning record anymore. They have looked better lately as they are 6-4 in their last 10 games, but they haven't been hot coming into this game, and they aren't in a great situation either. They have lost 2 games in a row now and they are also playing this game on a back-to-back with a really tough game against the Pistons the night before. The Heat are off a big loss to the Timberwolves in their last one and they haven't looked great lately, going 5-5 in their last 10 games, but they haven't been a bad team this season and will be looking to bounce back here with the Bulls in a bad situation. Look for the Heat to bring their best effort here and get a nice bounce back win on the road. The best way to place a bet here is on the Heat to cover the spread in this game. 

Heat Bulls Prediction:  Our NBA Pick for Thursday, January 8, 2026 (8:00 pm ET start time) is Heat 111 Bulls 103.

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Miami Heat: 20-29 ATS against Central division opponents. 24-42 ATS versus poor pressure defensive teams - forcing 13 turnovers/game or less. 13-22 ATS in January games. 32-16 OVER against Central division opponents. 10-5 OVER after a blowout loss by 20 points or more.

Chicago Bulls: 30-18 ATS against Southeast division opponents. 30-22 ATS as a home underdog. 14-9 ATS revenging a straight up loss vs opponent as a home favorite. 32-18 OVER revenging a home loss vs opponent. 

Miami Heat:  J. Jaquez Jr. (SF) Day To Day - Ankle.

Chicago Bulls:  C. White (SG) Day To Day - Calf. M. Buzelis (SF) Day To Day - Illness. J. Smith (C) Out - Concussion Protocol. Z. Collins (PF) Out - Toe. J. Giddey (PG) Out - Hamstring. N. Essengue (PF) Out For Season - Shoulder.

“We showed less of a spirit on this one. The one on Saturday, we had a spirit to fight until the end. That’s what is most disappointing to me as the head coach: The last 6 minutes, it felt like we let it go. At that point, we weren’t going to win the game. But, still, what you have is your spirit and keep on fighting, not just to let it go there at the end.” - Erik Spoelstra after his team’s loss against the Timberwolves in their game on Tuesday.

"I don’t think both teams shot the ball particularly well. Certainly they didn’t shoot the ball at the clip they normally do, and they had choices to make just like we had choices to make, right?" - Billy Donovan after his team’s loss against the Celtics in their game on Monday.

PG Davion Mitchell

SG Tyler Herro

SF Norman Powell

PF Andrew Wiggins

C Bam Adebayo 

PG Tre Jones

SG Coby White 

SF Isaac Okoro

PF Matas Buzelis

C Nikola Vucevic

PPG: Norman Powell (24.4)

APG: Davion Mitchell (7.4)

Reb/G: Kel'el Ware (10.6)

PPG: Josh Giddey (19.2)

APG: Josh Giddey (9)

Reb/G: Josh Giddey (8.9)

Coaches:

Miami Heat: Erik Spoelstra (18th season)

Chicago Bulls: Billy Donovan (6th season)