The Chicago Bulls (49-32) and Atlanta Hawks (60-21) bring the regular season to a close when they square off at the United Center. The game starts at 8:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Apr. 15 and will air on SPSO and CSN-CHI.
The Bulls won big over the Nets 113-86 on Monday. Nikola Mirotic was the game’s high scorer with 26 points on 8-for-15 shooting. The Hawks, meanwhile, are coming off a 112-108 loss to the Knicks on Monday. Jeff Teague had a team-high 19 points.
Keep an eye on Chicago’s ability to get to the charity stripe. They rank fifth in the league in free throw attempt rate (30.4), but Atlanta is among the best in the NBA at keeping opponents off the line (ranking third by allowing a free throw attempt rate of 24.1). Also, the elite offense of the Hawks ranks third in effective field goal percentage at 52.8%, while the Bulls are second-best in the league at forcing opponents’ misses (47.4%).
The Hawks have won both matchups against the Bulls this season, including a 107-99 victory in their last matchup. Kyle Korver was the game’s leading scorer with 24 points.
Oddsmakers have deemed this game an even matchup and the Over/Under (O/U) is presently unavailable. The Bulls enter the game with records of 49-32 Straight Up (SU) and 38-43 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 32-19 SU and 25-26 ATS versus the Eastern Conference. The Bulls are an impressive shooting team from the line with a .782 free throw percentage, one of the highest marks in the NBA. Chicago has an edge in the rebounding department for this game, where they rack up an average of 45.7 rebounds per game. Transitioning to the Chicago defense, an area where the Bulls are particularly strong is shot blocking, where they average 5.8 blocks per game, fifth in the NBA.
On the other side, the Hawks head into the game with records of 49-31-1 ATS and 60-21 SU. In Eastern Conference games, Atlanta has gone 38-13 SU and 30-20-1 ATS. Atlanta is one of the top foul-shooting teams in the league, converting .778 of their shots from the line. The Hawks rarely make the wrong play with the ball. They have the third-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the league at 1.93. Atlanta makes opponents pay for turning the ball over, ranking fifth in points off turnovers with an average of 18.3 per game.
Following the Hawks’ latest win over Chicago, Atlanta is still behind in the head-to-head record over the past 10 meetings, 3-7 SU. The Bulls also hold the advantage ATS with a record of 7-3. Chicago topped the Hawks in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) three times over the last 10. Atlanta has had the edge in all categories once.
Predictions: SU Winner – CHI, ATS Winner – CHI
Notes
Both Atlanta and Chicago rank 10th in points per game and points allowed per game respectively. Atlanta scores 102.8 points per game, while Chicago allows 98.0.
Atlanta puts up an average of 102.0 points per away game (ranked eighth). Chicago ranks 13th in points allowed per home game with 97.9.
When the Bulls give up fewer than 100 points to their opponents, they are 34-11. When the Hawks score fewer than 100 points, they also have a solid record (20-12).
When the Chicago Bulls allow at least 100 points they are 15-21, while the Atlanta Hawks are 40-9 when they register triple digits.
The Bulls have an offensive rating of 104.7 (ranked 10th). The Hawks rank ninth for their defensive rating of 100.8.
Atlanta beats Chicago in both possessions per game and points per possession. The Hawks average 96.4 possessions and 1.066 points per possession, while the Bulls average 96.4 possessions with 1.047 points per possession.
The Atlanta Hawks have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking third in the league with an EFF% of 52.8%. When their opponents record a similar or higher EFF%, the Chicago Bulls have a subpar 3-11 record.
The Atlanta Hawks, ranked second in the NBA, average 25.9 assists per game. The Chicago Bulls make 21.8 assists (ranked 13th).
Chicago makes an average of 5.8 blocks per game (ranked fifth), while Atlanta makes 4.6 blocks per game (ranked 16th).
Chicago is ranked seventh in offensive rebounding. Atlanta ranks 20th in defensive rebounds.
Making 9.1 steals per game, Atlanta is ranked fifth in the NBA. Chicago has a solid 22-13 record when it gives up at least 9 steals.
