NBA Preview: Atlanta Hawks vs. Chicago Bulls Predictions

Written by Jake Thompson
Tuesday, 22 March 2011 19:58

It’s time to preview the NBA game between the Chicago Bulls and the Atlanta Hawks with predictions on the final score.

The Chicago Bulls (50-19) will be on the road for tonight’s clash with the Atlanta Hawks (40-30), and you can catch all of the NBA game action on the TNT channel at an 8:00 PM ET start time.  Chicago is now tied with the Boston Celtics atop the Eastern Conference playoff standings, while the Hawks have lost 6 of their last 10 games and are 10.5 games in back of the two powerhouses.

We’ll preview the Bulls and the Hawks to see how tonight’s game will go and what to expect as a possible final score. Chicago has been the stronger team this year but the Bulls’ 19-15 record on the road could be challenged by a Hawks squad that has put together a 21-14 mark at home.   The Bulls won the most recent head-to-head matchup, a 94-76 win in Chicago that was just as one-sided as the final score might indicate.  Before that, however, the Hawks had beaten the Bulls in 8 of the last 9 meetings and took home an 83-80 win in Atlanta just 9 days before Chicago got their revenge. The Bulls have won 9 of their last 10 games and seem to have everything running at 100% following a slow start to the season.

Chicago has scored 108.0 points per game over their last 5 contests and are coming off a game where every single starter scored 14 or more points.  The Bulls have been a strong defensive team all season (91.2 points per game allowed) and will be going against an Atlanta squad that is allowing 46.5% shooting from the field over their last 5 NBA games. Atlanta hasn’t been winning a ton of games but they’ve been picking some terrific shots (50.4% shooting over their last 5).   If the Hawks can slow the pace and make Chicago work hard on both ends, an upset could be brewing in tonight’s game.  The Bulls have displayed strong perimeter defense this year and that will be a key against an Atlanta team that has shot 40.5% from 3-point range over their last 5 games.

Much like Chicago, the Hawks have been getting contributions from everyone and are fresh off a game that saw every starter score 13 or more points. Predictions on the final score in the game between the Atlanta Hawks and the Chicago Bulls have to be on the home team to pull the upset in a game that they simply need more.   The Bulls have been playing great basketball but they’ve historically had problems with Atlanta, and I think the Hawks can get it done on their home court by limiting turnovers and slowing the game down to frustrate the energetic Bulls. Chicago 90 Atlanta 91.