Hawks vs Bulls: Game Preview, Injury Report, Projected Starting Lineups

Can the Hawks defeat the Bulls tonight in Atlanta?

The Atlanta Hawks have won six of their last eight games and will go for their third straight win tonight when they face the Chicago Bulls at State Farm Arena. 

In terms of the Eastern Conference Standings, this game has meaning to it. The Bulls are in 9th place in the East and the Hawks are in 10th, trailing Chicago by only one game. The Bulls have already won the first matchup of the season vs the Hawks and if they win tonight, they will move two games ahead and also clinch the tiebreaker over Atlanta. The Hawks are hoping to move up in the conference standings and these are the kinds of games they need to win to do that. 

This is also the Hawks's last home game before the All-Star Break. Atlanta does go on the road to play Charlotte for their last game before the All-Star break, but this is the last time that they will do it in front of the home crowd. 

The Hawks were a little beat up heading into Saturday's game vs the Rockets, but they look like they might be getting backup center Bruno Fernando back tonight. Patty Mills is doubtful while Clint Capela, Wesley Matthews, and Mouhamed Gueye are all out. 

A big piece of injury news on the other side will be Bulls guard Alex Caruso. He is questionable for this game and without him, the Bulls would be missing their best defender, which is huge in a game against Trae Young and Dejounte Murray. 

So who wins tonight? Let's preview the game. 

Game Preview

Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan vs the Hawks / Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports

Like the first time these two teams met, this is going to be a matchup of the worst defense in the NBA (Atlanta) vs one of the NBA's worst offenses (Chicago). It was a close game the last time these two met, but the big difference was Andre Drummond's rebounding and the clutch shooting of DeMar DeRozan in the 4th quarter. 

Atlanta got off to a slow start against the Houston Rockets on Saturday, but their offense played really well the rest of the way, thanks to 34 points and a near triple-double from Dejounte Murray. When Trae Young and Murray are playing well, this is one of the hardest offenses to stop in the NBA. 

The Hawks come into tonight's game 3rd in the NBA in PPG, 22nd in field goal percentage, 6th in three-point attempts, 17th in three-point percentage, 4th in free throw attempts, 8th in rebounding, and 14th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Hawks are 10th in points per 100 possessions, 18th in effective field goal percentage, 9th in turnover percentage, 4th in offensive rebounding, and 8th in free throw rate. The Hawks are a very good offensive rebounding team, but they are missing their best offensive rebounder, Clint Capela, who is out with an injury.

Trae Young is having a fantastic season, averaging over 27 PPG and nearly 11 APG, while shooting 43% from the field and 38% from three. A big reason the Hawks have been playing well over the last ten games is due to Young and his elevated play. 

Murray had a big game back after missing the previous two and after spending the past few months in trade rumors, I am interested to see how Murray plays the rest of the season now that he does not have to worry about the rumors. 

Saddiq Bey was going through a rough stretch of games not too long ago, but he has also been playing well. He scored 24 points and grabbed six rebounds and also had 25 points against the Celtics last week. Whether he is starting or coming off of the bench, Bey is a big part of the Hawks and he needs to continue playing well. 

Jalen Johnson is still playing well, but he is not shooting from the field as well in the past few games. He is also usually tasked with guarding the team's best wing player and he will likely be guarding DeRozan tonight. 

Okongwu has taken the starting job and ran away with it since stepping in for Capela and is showing that he might need to remain in the starting lineup, even when Capela returns. 

One guy that I am watching closely tonight is Bogdan Bogdanovic, who has had a great season, but a tough stretch here in the past few games. He shot 3-12 on Saturday against the Rockets and was not a factor in the games against the 76ers or Celtics. He is an important player off the bench for the Hawks. 

De'Andre Hunter is still working his way back from injury and did not play in the back-to-back. I would expect Hunter to still come off the bench and will probably still do that through the All-Star break. 

After getting his first real rotation minutes on Saturday vs Houston, will the Hawks continue to play rookie guard Kobe Bufkin? That is an interesting storyline to watch tonight. 

The Bull's defense is solid, but not one of the elite units in the NBA. They are 11th in PPG allowed, 11th in field goal percentage allowed, last in three-point attempts allowed, and 15th in three-point percentage allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, Chicago is 16th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 18th in effective field goal percentage allowed. Whether Caruso plays or not is huge for the Bull's defense vs the Hawks tonight. 

Hawks guard Dejounte Murray vs the Rockets / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The Bulls are one of the worst offensive teams in the NBA, but they have the benefit of playing the NBA's worst defense. Chicago guard Coby White is currently in the best season of his career and DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic can have big games on any given night. Drummond had a big night against the Hawks back in December and I would not be surprised if he gets a large amount of minutes tonight. They have played him and Vuvevic in the same lineup before. 

Chicago is 26th in PPG, 23rd in field goal percentage, 22nd in three-point attempts, 23rd in three-point percentage, 23rd in free-throw attempts, 14th in rebounding, and 5th in turnovers. Per Cleaning the Glass, they are 21st in points per 100 possessions, 25th in effective field goal percentage, 6th in turnover percentage, 11th in offensive rebounding, and 20th in turnovers rate. 

The Hawks have a mess of a defense, but having Hunter back tonight will be big as he is someone who can also guard DeRozan. Atlanta is 29th in PPG allowed, 28th in field goal percentage allowed, 27th in three-point percentage allowed, and 22nd in three-point attempts allowed. Per Cleaning the Glass, the Hawks are 27th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 29th in effective field goal percentage allowed. 

Injury Report

Bruno Fernando (illness) is Probable, Patty Mills (illness) is Doubtful and Clint Capela (left adductor strain), Mouhamed Gueye (right low back stress fracture), and Wesley Matthews (illness) are all out for the Hawks. 

Caruso is questionable for the Bulls, while Torrey Craig and Coby White are probable. 

Viewing and Betting Information

Tip-off time: 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time

Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA

Where to Watch: NBA League Pass, Bally Sports Southeast

Spread and Over/Under: The Hawks will be favorites at home tonight, as they are currently 4.5 point favorites according to the latest odds from the SI Sportsbook

Projected Starting Lineups

Hawks:

G- Trae Young

G- Dejounte Murray

F- Jalen Johnson

F- Saddiq Bey

C- Onyeka Okongwu

Bulls:

G- Coby White

G- Ayo Dosunmo

F- Alex Caruso

F- DeMar DeRozan

C- Nikola Vucevic

Keep an eye out to see if Caruso is able to play tonight. 

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