Spread and Score Predictions: Atlanta Hawks vs Chicago Bulls

Jackson Caudell | Apr 1, 2024

Mar 30, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic (13) shoots against the / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Tonight, the Hawks and the Bulls are playing a crucial game that has NBA play-in tournament ramifications.

Chicago enters tonight as the No. 9 seed in the Eastern Conference and Atlanta enters tonight as No. 10, 1.5 games behind the Bulls. If the Hawks want to be able to catch Chicago, they really need to win tonight. Even if they win tonight though, Chicago does own the tiebreaker still and will still have a lead on the Hawks.

There are a couple of advantages the Hawks could have tonight over Chicago. The Bulls are on the second night of a back-to-back and are traveling back from Minnesota, where they upset the Timberwolves last night. The Hawks also might be getting back Jalen Johnson and Kobe Bufkin, two important players who have been missing time.

Neither end of the floor has been impressive for the Hawks in their two games vs the Bulls this year, but the Hawks rely on their offense to win them games. Dejounte Murray had the Hawks offense humming but they hit a wall in the first half against Milwaukee and the Hawks could not recover. Murray has had to put the team on his back with Trae Young out and he is playing a lot of minutes. In the biggest game of the year for the Hawks, Murray is going to need to have a good night. 

Bogdan Bogdanovic might have had his best game of the season on Saturday vs Milwaukee. He scored 38 points on 12-23 shooting and also had 10 rebounds. Bogdanovic was getting it done from three and also getting to the basket and was the best player on the floor for Atlanta on Saturday. Bogdanovic and Murray can be a good scoring duo and Atlanta's offense needs them to be. 

De'Andre Hunter had two great games vs Boston this week but was not able to shoot the ball well from the floor, going 5-13 from the floor and scoring 13 points. Hunter may also be guarding DeMar DeRozan tonight if Johnson does not play. 

If Johnson plays, I believe he will start in place of Vit Krejci. Johnson looked really good in his return from his ankle injury a couple of weeks ago and Atlanta does not have anyone that can do the things Johnson can on both ends of the floor. 

Clint Capela and Bruno Fernando will split the center minutes tonight and they will both be playing crucial roles. Nikola Vucevic and Andre Drummond have had two big games vs the Hawks this year and Capela and Fernando will need to limit them both. Fernando brings a lot of energy to the floor every night for Atlanta and helped spark a run on Saturday vs Milwaukee. 

The bench rotation will likely consist of Fernando, Garrison Matthews, Bufkin (if he plays), and Vit Krejci (if Johnson plays). 

Viewing and Betting information

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

Location: United Center, Chicago, IL

Where to Watch: NBA League Pass, Bally Sports Southeast, 

Spread and Over/Under: The Hawks will be underdogs on the road tonight, as they are currently 2.5 point underdogs according to the latest odds from the SI Sportsbook and the over/under is set at 222.5.

Prediction:

This is a tough game to predict. I think Atlanta could have some advantages if both Johnson and Bufkin play and the fact that Chicago is on the second night of a back-to-back and inconsistent from night-to-night. The win over Minnesota last night was impressive, but the Bulls were also blown out by the Nets just two nights earlier. Both teams need this game, because getting homecourt in the first play-in game is important. If Atlanta wins, they will still have an uphill battle to climb because their schedule down the stretch is difficult, but they are almost certainly going to finish 10th if they lose this game. Picking the Hawks on a night-to-night basis is tough, but I think Dejounte Murray pushes the Hawks to victory tonight with another 30+ point performance.

Final Score: Hawks 113, Bulls 108 (ATL +2.5, Under)