Chicago Bulls at Atlanta Hawks Betting Preview

 

In a game with massive playoff implications, the Chicago Bulls visit the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night. The game tips off at 8 pm ET.

Chicago is flirting with 10th place in the Eastern Conference and the last spot in the play-in tournament. The Hawks have been winning more often than not. Atlanta could potentially host a first-round series if it continues its winning ways.

Let's see how these two Eastern Conference teams match up with each other.

HOW BETTORS ARE PREPARING FOR THE NBA PLAY-IN TOURNAMENT

Chicago Bulls: Need to Steady

The Bulls have been slipping a bit in April, dropping them to the outside of the playoff mix. Sports bettors know their identity points a bit more to the offensive side, where they are ranked 13th in the NBA.

Their defense is a bottom 10 unit, particularly susceptible to points in the paint, where they rank 27th in the NBA.

Their stylistic approach to offense is their exact weakness, as they rank seventh in the NBA in points in the paint. The team is led by Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic.

LaVine hasn't played in over two weeks due to COVID-19 safety protocols, which partly explains why the Bulls have lacked consistency. On the season, when looking at NBA insider info, LaVine averages 27.5 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game.

Vucevic was acquired at the trade deadline from Orlando, immediately slotting into a leadership position on offense. The center is scoring nearly 23 points per game to go along with 10.2 rebounds. He's shooting 52% from the floor and 47% from deep.

As of this writing, Chicago is 33-28 against the spread and 31-30 against over/unders. They are currently +10000 to win the East and make it to the NBA Finals.

Atlanta Hawks: Winning Even Without their Star

Atlanta's recent stretch of winning is made more impressive when you see that Trae Young has missed a handful of games. Young suffered an ankle sprain that is expected to keep him out for a short while. On the season, the guard is averaging 25.3 points and 9.6 assists per game.

Atlanta has been moving up in the offensive and defensive rankings and is one of the most balanced teams in the league. The Hawks come in ranked 10th on offense and 13th on defense.

Their offense is also balanced, with no preference for one style of play over the other. This variety has kept defenses on their heels.

Bogdan Bogdanovic has been picking up the pace of late, as he's been the team's leading scorer in six of their last nine games. John Collins has been having a strong season, averaging 17.8 points and 7.7 boards per game.

The other half of the frontcourt has also been playing well. Center Clint Capela is averaging 15.5 points and 14.7 rebounds per game to go along with a monster 2.2 blocks.

Atlanta is loaded with depth and seems poised for a respectable run in the Eastern Conference playoffs. As of this writing, the Hawks are 34-27 ATS and 30-32 against over/unders.

Before we move onto our pick, take a look at our last one, it was a winner! We took Atlanta to cover in our Hawks at Hornets betting preview.

Game Pick: Go With the Better Team

Atlanta is just a better team than Chicago. On both ends, the Hawks have an edge on the Bulls, and it's best to keep the pick logic at that.

This is the third and final game between these two teams this season. Atlanta has won each of the previous two by double-digits and seems well-positioned to sweep Chicago on Saturday.