The 10-seed Atlanta Hawks head to Chicago to take on the 9-seed Bulls on Wednesday night at 9:30 PM ET on ESPN. It’s the first round of the NBA Play-In Tournament. Can the Bulls cover the 3-point spread as home favorites? Keep reading for our Hawks vs. Bulls betting prediction.
The Atlanta Hawks are 36-46 straight up in the regular season this year. They are 29-53 ATS this season.
The Chicago Bulls are 39-43 straight up in the regular season this year. They are 41-40-1 ATS this season.
Hawks vs. Bulls Matchup & Betting Odds
549 Atlanta Hawks (+3) at 550 Chicago Bulls (-3); o/u 221.5
9:30 p.m. ET, Wednesday, April 17, 2024
United Center, Chicago, IL
TV: ESPN
Hawks vs. Bulls Public Betting Information
Our NBA Public Betting Information page indicates that 72% of public bettors are currently backing the Bulls when it comes to the spread. This information is subject to change throughout the day, however, so be sure to check the link so you’re receiving the most up-to-date public betting data.
Atlanta Hawks Daily Fantasy Spin
Hawks power forward Onyeka Okongwu had surgery to address a sprain in his left big toe. He’ll be out for Wednesday’s game and likely a couple of weeks after that. Okongwu is averaging 10.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game in 25.5 minutes per contest for Atlanta this season.
Atlanta small forward Jalen Johnson will miss Wednesday’s game with a Grade 2 lateral ankle sprain. He’ll be re-evaluated in three weeks. Johnson was having a breakout campaign for the Hawks in 2024 to the tune of 16.0 points and 8.7 rebounds per game across 56 appearances.
Hawks small forward Saddiq Bey will sit out the rest of the season with a torn ACL in his left knee. Bey was averaging 13.7 points and 6.5 rebounds per game before getting injured.
Chicago Bulls Daily Fantasy Spin
Bulls guard Zach LaVine (foot) and forward Patrick Williams (foot) will both miss the rest of the season. Both players have been out since the start of February and should be back next season.
Chicago guard Ayo Dosunmu (quad) and center Andre Drummond (ankle) are both questionable for Wednesday’s tilt with Atlanta. Dosunmu is averaging 12.2 points per game while Drummond is chipping in 8.4 points per game this season.
Bulls forward Julian Phillips (foot) and small forward Onuralp Bitim (eye) will both miss Wednesday’s Play-In Tournament game against the Hawks. Bitim is the bigger loss of the two as he was putting up 3.5 points per game in 11.7 minutes per contest prior to the injury.
Hawks vs. Bulls NBA Betting Trends
Atlanta is 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games overall.
Atlanta is 10-17 ATS as a road underdog this season.
Chicago is 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games against Atlanta.
Chicago is an NBA-best 11-4 ATS when playing on 2 or 3 days of rest this season.
Hawks vs. Bulls NBA Prediction:
Atlanta has been sliding for the past two weeks. Since April 4th, the Hawks are 0-6 straight up and 1-5 ATS in that same span. Three of those losses came by double digits, and one of them came against the Charlotte Hornets at home. Atlanta is not playing well coming into this Play-In Tournament contest.
Chicago is faring a bit better in that same stretch. The Bulls are 3-3 straight up in their last 6 games and 4-2 ATS in that same span. There’s also the fact that Chicago is 2-1 straight up and 2-1 ATS against Atlanta this season. If you go back further, the Bulls are 6-4 straight up and 7-3 ATS against the Hawks in their last 10 matchups. At 29-53 ATS the Hawks have been the worst team against the number all year, and I think their season mercifully comes to an end against the Bulls in Chicago on Wednesday night, so I’m laying the points with the Bulls at home in this one.
