After the most totally normal 2-2 week ever, the Bulls host the Hawks with playoff seeding at stake.
Game Info
Atlanta Hawks (34-40) at Chicago Bulls (36-39) – 7:00 p.m. CT on NBC Sports Chicago (TV) and 670 The Score (Radio)
Projected Starting Lineups
Chicago Bulls
- Coby White
- Alex Caruso
- Ayo Dosunmu
- DeMar DeRozan
- Nikola Vucevic
Injury Report: Ayo Dosunmu PROBABLE (illness), Alex Caruso PROBABLE (ankle), Javonte Green QUESTIONABLE (personal), Julian Phillips OUT (foot)
Atlanta Hawks
- Dejounte Murray
- Bogan Bogdanovic
- Vit Krejci
- De’Andre Hunter
- Clint Capela
Injury Report: Onyeka Okongwu OUT (toe), Mouhamed Gueye OUT (elbow), AJ Griffin OUT (ankle), Jalen Johnson QUESTIONABLE (ankle), Kobe Bufkin QUESTIONABLE (toe)
Odds
Chicago comes into tonight’s game as 2-point favorites against Atlanta at FanDuel Illinois Sportsbook and DraftKings Sportsbook.
What to Watch For
- Consistency! I’d like to watch for and see consistency from this Bulls team for once but that just doesn’t seem possible. After losing two games to basement dwellers and winning two games against playoff teams I’m not really sure what to expect from Chicago tonight. In the two games played, the Bulls are 2-0 against the Hawks and Ayo Dosunmu has played great in both. He’s averaging 24 points per game in the two matchups against Atlanta this season.
- Alex Caruso has been outstanding as of late as well. In his last 10 games, he’s averaging just under 14 points per game and is shooting 55.2% from three. Last night against Minnesota he was 7 for 8 from deep, and those 7 threes were a career-high. And obviously, in addition to what he’s been providing offensively, he’s also playing All-NBA-caliber defense.
- Speaking of defense, that area for the Hawks has improved quite a bit since the Trae Young injury. With Trae, they had the league’s worst defensive rating (120.1), and in their 18 games since, that number has improved to 114.0 which is 19th. Not great, but definitely better. The over might still be the play in this one, but I’m not sure we’ll see another 136-point effort.