Hawks vs. Bulls NBA expert prediction and odds for Monday, April 1 (Take the over)
The Atlanta Hawks were the story of the NBA last week by beating the top-seeded Boston Celtics twice in a four-day span. Atlanta won four consecutive games before coming back down to earth in Saturday’s 122-113 home loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Now going on the road, can Atlanta (5-3 straight up in its last eight games) retain its momentum as short underdogs in Chicago?
The Bulls, like the Hawks, appear to be locked into the NBA’s Play-In Tournament once the regular season comes to a close. Chicago added a pair of quality wins to its resume last week in taking out the Indiana Pacers (125-99) and Minnesota (109-101) on the road.
Can the Bulls pull away as a short favorite in their return home? Here’s the betting preview of the matchup with a best bet.
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Hawks vs. Bulls odds, spread and total
Hawks vs. Bulls how to watch
- Date: Monday, April 1
- Game time: 8 p.m. EST
- Venue: United Center
- How to watch (TV): Bally Sports
- Hawks record: 34-40
- Bulls record: 36-39
Hawks vs. Bulls injury report
Atlanta Hawks
- Mouhamed Gueye (elbow): out
- Onyeka Okongwu (toe): out
- AJ Griffin (ankle): out
- Kobe Bufkin (toe): questionable
- Jalen Johnson (ankle): questionable
Chicago Bulls
- No injuries to report
Hawks vs. Bulls key players to watch
Atlanta Hawks
Dejounte Murray: The former first-round pick has been pouring in points at a high rate over Atlanta’s winning streak. Murray had 44 points in Thursday’s overtime win over Boston and is averaging 26.7 points last month. Despite shooting 22.3 field goal attempts per game in March, Murray was also a key facilitator for the Hawks with Trae Young still sidelined. Murray has posted a double-double in six of the last eight games and is 16th in the NBA in assists.
Chicago Bulls
Nikola Vucevic: The 6-foot-10 center is still averaging a double-double per night at 18 points and 10.6 rebounds per game while shooting nearly 50% from the field. Vucevic has shot over the 50% mark in four of the last five games and is coming off a 19-point, 8-rebound, 6-assist performance in Sunday’s road win over Minnesota.
Hawks vs. Bulls prediction and pick
Atlanta was able to light it up from the perimeter to win four consecutive games last week. In those contests, the Hawks shot 42.3% from deep (69-of-163) and scored 120-plus points each night. Atlanta was still able to connect 14 times from downtown in Saturday’s loss to Milwaukee, but the defense didn’t show up in a nine-point loss.
Atlanta has a favorable matchup Monday if they want to let it fly from the perimeter. While Chicago is great near the rim (No. 1 in points in the paint allowed), the Bulls are only No. 18 defending triples and No. 22 against 2-point shots.
On the other side, though, Atlanta’s defense is prone to giving up points just as fast as they score them. The Hawks, No. 27 in net defensive rating, is 29th in effective field goal percentage, and Chicago’s offense is efficient enough (No. 19 in net rating) to take advantage of that while playing at a controlled tempo (No. 29 in pace) while taking care of the ball (No. 3 in turnovers per game).
Look for both offenses to have success doing what they do best Monday night in the Windy City. Take the over.
Game odds update periodically and are subject to change.