Bulls at Hawks Game Day Preview

The Hawks (29-32) host the Bulls (39-23).

© Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports

Preview

For the Hawks this season, every step forward has been immediately followed with two steps back. The team is 1-2 since the All-Star break and reeling from a beatdown in Boston on Tuesday night. 

Following the disappointing loss, Trae Young expressed optimism in the team's chances this postseason, while Bogdan Bogdanovic said the Hawks were not a "good team." 

Just about every metric tends to agree with Bogdanovic. The Hawks are three games below .500 and cling to the 10th and final play-in spot. Sure, they possess the second-best offense in the league, but their bottom-five defense is incapable of picking up the slack whenever they have a cold shooting night.

Perhaps most frustrating for the team and its fans is the team's inability to diagnose the exact problem. Every question is met with a shoulder shrug rather than an answer.

I say all that because the top six seeds are essentially out of reach for the Hawks. They now must win games just to hang onto a play-in position. The thought of such a scenario would have seemed unfathomable last fall.

On the flip side, the Bulls have a narrow lead over the 76ers for the second seed in the Eastern Conference. The MVP caliber play of DeMar DeRozan has buoyed the team as they buy time until Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso return from injuries. The Bulls aren't the same defensively without Ball and Caruso, but the big three of DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Nikola Vucevic are putting up enough points to keep this team's head above water.

These two teams have played three times this season, and the Bulls have taken every game. It's hard to imagine a scenario where they don't complete the season sweep tonight.

Injury Report

The Bulls are without Lonzo Ball (knee), Alex Caruso (wrist), and Patrick Williams (wrist) are all out tonight.

The Hawks injury report lists Lou Williams (left hip discomfort) as probable. Trae Young (left ankle sprain) is questionable. John Collins (right foot strain) remains doubtful. Lastly, Onyeka Okongwu (NBA concussion protocol) is out.

Odds

SI Sportsbook lists the Bulls as 4.5-point favorites and the over/under is set at 231.5 points. The Bulls should cover the spread with ease against the shorthanded Hawks. 

As always, we will be live-tweeting the game tonight and back here later with your post-game recap. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's AllHawks.com for breaking news, highlights, and analysis.

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