Chicago Bulls vs Atlanta Hawks Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 17/04/2024, 01:05  by Joseph King | Modified on 17/04/2024 at 01:08 in NBA Predictions

The second game of the Eastern Conference play-in tournament sees the ninth-place Chicago Bulls hosting the 10th-placed Atlanta Hawks. The winner of this game will take on the loser of the 76ers vs Heat game for the eighth seed and a spot in the NBA Playoffs.

The Bulls were able to beat out the Hawks for home court advantage after it was clear for quite some time that these two would be facing off. Chicago finished the season with a 39-43 record, putting them seven games behind Miami in seventh and three games ahead of Atlanta in 10th. The Bulls experienced mixed form down the stretch with five wins and five losses in their last 10 games in the regular season. The hosts actually wound up resting the majority of their star players for the team’s 129-127 away win over the Wizards in the penultimate game of the season (the second leg of a back-to-back). They would then play their regular team in the final game against the Knicks despite being guaranteed to finish ninth. The Bulls nearly pulled off an excellent victory but ultimately fell to a 120-119 overtime loss. The result likely wouldn’t have discouraged them, as they faced off against a full-strength Knicks team and pushed them right down to the wire on the road.

The Hawks ended in the 2023/24 regular season in the worst way imaginable as they lost their final six games to close things out. The losing streak meant that Quin Snyder’s team finished the campaign with a 36-46 record, falling well short of preseason expectations. To make matters worse, Atlanta suffered a demoralizing 157-112 defeat to the Indiana Pacers in the last game. It encapsulated the worst aspects of the Hawks' season as their almost non-existent defense allowed the Pacers to shoot a staggering 65% from the field and 52.8% from three.