Atlanta Hawks vs. Chicago Bulls Game Day Preview
Preview
Like the Grand Theft Auto meme, "here we go again." The Hawks play the Bulls for the second time in 48 hours. On Monday night, the Bulls won a shoot-out in Atlanta. Tonight, the two teams face each other in Chicago for the second of four matchups this season.
The Bulls have won eight of their last ten games and are second in the Eastern Conference. As Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan demonstrated on Monday, the Bulls get to the basket and free-throw line with ease. Who needs a lot of outside shooting when you already have the fifth-best offensive rating in the league?
Despite having a barely recognizable roster, the Hawks can still score with the best of them. However, their defense will continue to be their Achilles heel until after all their injured and sick players get back (and perhaps after).
Trae Young reminded everyone what they were missing when he returned to action on Monday night. He deserves to be an All-Star, first-team All-NBA, and once the Hawks record improves, an MVP candidate - full stop.
Even better, Cam Reddish continues to make considerable strides in his third season. Only LaMarcus Aldridge of the Brooklyn Nets averages more points per game while averaging less than 25 minutes played. Of course, the Hawks are not contenders until they get healthy. But that doesn't mean they're not going to be a lot of fun.
Injury Report
The Bulls are still without head coach Billy Donovan. Additionally, Lonzo Ball, Ersan Ilyasova, Tony Bradley, and Alfonzo McKinnie are in the NBA Health & Safety Protocols. Additionally, Alex Caruso (foot) and Derrick Jones Jr. (hamstring), and Patrick Williams (wrist) are out too.
While things are slightly improving for the Hawks, they still have a ways to go. Bogdan Bogdanovic, John Collins, Sharife Cooper, Gorgui Dieng, Malik Ellison, Danilo Gallinari, Kevin Huerter, Wes Iwundu, Jalen Johnson, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Onyeka Okongwu, Lou Williams, and Delon Wright remain in COVID protocols. De'Andre Hunter (wrist) and Solomon Hill (hamstring) are also out.
Odds
SI Sportsbook lists the Bulls as 8-point favorites. However, I believe this game will be closer to a toss-up for a few reasons. Most importantly, Trae Young looked phenomenal in his return on Monday night. Secondly, Clint Capela has continued to improve his conditioning since missing time in the COVID protocols. Lastly, as Young mentioned after the last game, the Hawks should film on the Bulls and be better equipped to handle Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan.
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