Both the Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls are no strangers to the NBA Play-In Tournament. The two teams have met in the Eastern Conference Play-In three years in a row, with the latest installment coming in the No. 9 seed game on Wednesday night.

Despite being the lower seed and having been swept by the Bulls in the regular season, the Heat came away with a 109-90 win to keep their season alive. The victory had more implications than just this year’s tournament, however – it also marked the third year in a row Miami has ended Chicago’s season.

Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn ImagesMandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn ImagesMandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

In 2023, the Heat disposed of the Bulls with ease in the No. 8 seed game, earning the former a postseason berth that would result in the Cinderella run of a lifetime. Miami made it all the way to the NBA Finals before losing to the Denver Nuggets in what proved to be Jimmy Butler’s final postseason hurrah in South Florida.

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One year later, the two squads met once again in the final round of the play-in with a trip to the playoffs on the line. The Heat emerged victorious once more, as Tyler Herro secured a near triple-double with 24 points, 10 rebounds and nine asissts to lead his squad to a 21-point victory. Miami would go on to lose a five-game first round series against the eventual NBA champion Boston Celtics.

Fast forward to 2025, a matchup with entirely new ramifications for both teams. Rather than meeting in the No. 8 seed game, the Heat and Bulls were pitted against each other as the bottom two squads in this year’s play-in. The winner would advance to play the Atlanta Hawks for a spot in the playoffs. The loser’s season would be over.

Despite being the underdog this time around, Miami once again staked its claim of superiority over Chicago, cruising to a 109-90 victory over Chicago to secure play-in bragging rights for yet another season. The Heat will now hit the road once more to take on the Hawks this Friday at 7 p.m. ET.

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