The Atlanta Hawks welcome the Chicago Bulls to Philips Arena. The game starts at 8:00 pm ET on Friday, Feb. 26 and will air on ESP, CSC, FxS and #0.
The Hawks fell to the Warriors 102-92 on Monday. Al Horford put in a solid effort despite the loss for Atlanta, recording 23 points and 16 rebounds to earn his 11th double-double of the season. The Bulls, meanwhile, are coming off a 109-104 win against the Wizards on Wednesday. Taj Gibson shot 6-for-10 and led in scoring with 17 points.
Horford has been playing at a high level over the last five games for the Hawks. During that stretch, he has averaged 19.4 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.0 steal, 2.8 blocks, and 1.2 three-pointers. Derrick Rose has also been on fire in the same span, averaging 23.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 0.5 steals, and 1.2 three-pointers while leading the Bulls.
Points at the line might be difficult to come by for the Hawks in this contest. They are 28th in the league in free throw attempt rate (23.8), while Chicago is among the league’s least foul-prone teams (allowing a free throw attempt rate of just 24.7, fifth in the NBA).
The Hawks have emerged victorious in both contests against the Bulls this year, including a 113-90 blowout in their last matchup. Pau Gasol played a big role with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
The Hawks are attempting to build on their records of 31-27 Straight Up (SU) and 26-30-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 31-27 SU and 26-30-2 ATS versus the Eastern Conference. Atlanta is one of the best passing teams in the league with an average of 25.4 assists per game. The Hawks will be looking to turn around their defense after struggling a bit recently. The Hawks have given up an average of 108.6 points to opponents in their last 10 games, well over their defense’s season average of 100.3 PPG. The Hawks are third in the league in steals with 9.4 per game. Something to watch out for is if Atlanta can force its opponents into turnovers and convert them into baskets. They’ve done an excellent job of that all year with an average of 19.3 points off turnovers per game to lead the league.
Over on the other bench, the Bulls have 29-26 SU and 22-33 ATS records. Against the Eastern Conference, Chicago is 29-26 SU and 22-33 ATS. The Bulls are a force on the boards, grabbing a league-best 47.8 rebounds per game. Moving on to Chicago’s defense, the Bulls have one of the best opponent three-point field goal percentages in the league at .333.
With the Hawks’ last win against Chicago, Atlanta is still behind in the head-to-head record over the last 10 meetings, 4-6 SU. With a 6-4 record, the Bulls also have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Atl
Notes
Chicago ranks 16th in points per game with 102.0, while Atlanta ranks eighth in points allowed with an average of 100.3 given up.
Chicago scores an average of 102.6 points per away game (ranked eighth). Atlanta ranks 12th in points allowed per home game with 99.5.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Chicago Bulls are an outstanding 20-3. In games where they score fewer than 100 points, the Atlanta Hawks have an abysmal record of 5-21.
The Chicago Bulls have a losing 10-23 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Atlanta Hawks are 26-6 when they hit the century mark.
The Bulls have an offensive rating of 102.1 (ranked 24th), while the Hawks rank fourth for their defensive rating of 100.7.
Atlanta has an average field goal percentage of 45.8% (ranked ninth). Chicago is an underachieving 2-12 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
On average, the Atlanta Hawks attempt 27.0 three point field goals per game and the Chicago Bulls attempt 20.0 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 threes, Atlanta is 15-22, while Chicago has a subpar record of 3-7.
The Atlanta Hawks, with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.72, rank eighth in the NBA. The Chicago Bulls have a lower A/TO (1.64), ranking 13th.
The Bulls earn a league-high 47.8 rebounds per game, while the Hawks rank 28th with 41.4 per game.
Atlanta is ranked 20th in defensive rebounds, while Chicago ranks sixth in offensive rebounds.
Atlanta is one of the top teams in forced turnovers, with opponents averaging a TOV% of 16.1% (ranked second). Chicago has a poor record of 5-9 SU this season when its TOV% reaches 16.1% or greater.
