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.