Chicago Bulls at Atlanta Hawks Predictions 12/27/21

Chicago Bulls (20-10 SU, 19-11 ATS) vs. Atlanta Hakws (15-17 SU, 13-19 ATS)
When: Monday December 27 2021, 07:30 PM (ET)
Where: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
TV: Bally Sports Southeast

Point Spread: CHI -6/ATS +6 (Opened at CHI -6 at MyBookie)
Total: 208.5 (Opened at 208.5)
Money Line: Denver -250/Los Angeles +200)
Power Rating: CHI -6

Probable Starting Lineups

Bulls: PG Coby White, SG Zach LaVine, SF DeMar DeRozan, PF Javonte Green, C Nikola Vucevic
Hawks: PG Delon Wright, SG Cam Reddish, SF Bogdan Bogdanovic, PF TBD, C Clint Capela

Key Injuries

Bulls Lonzo Ball: illness (OUT) Tony Bradley: illness (OUT) Alex Caruso: illness (OUT) Derrick Jones: hamstring (OUT) Alfonzo McKinnie: illness (OUT) Patrick Williams: wrist (OUT)

Hawks John Collins: illness (OUT) Danilo Gallinari: illness (OUT) Kevin Heurter: illness (OUT) Deandre Hunter: wrist (OUT) Wes Iwundu: illness (OUT) Timothe Luwawu-Cabbarot: illness (OUT) Lou Williams: illness (OUT) Wes Trae Young: illness (OUT)

Recent Form

The Chicago Bulls come into this game with an overall 20-10, placing them 2nd in the Eastern Conference. As they head into their matchup with Atlanta, the team is on a roll, having won 3 straight games. Most recently, they took down the Indian Pacers by a score of 113-105.

Like most teams, the Bulls have dealt with a COVID outbreak in their locker room. However, many of their key players have returned to action. Chicago is led by three players capable of carrying the scoring load. Through 32 games, Demar DeRozan leads the group with 26.7 points per contest, followed by Zach Lavine at 26.3. Big man Nikola Vucevic has been everything the team hoped for, hitting 35% of his three-point shots on his way to 15.5 points per game.

The Atlanta Hawks get set to host the Chicago Bulls with an overall record of 15-17. So far, the season has not gone as planned as Atlanta hoped to cement themselves among the elite teams in the Eastern Conference. Heading into tonight’s game, the Hawks have won just 3 of their past ten games, pushing them down to the No. 10 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Between the two teams, Atlanta’s roster is in a much worse spot due to COVID 19. Right now, the team’s injury report lists nine players on the Health And Safety Protocols List. This list includes top players such as Trae Young, John Collins, and Kevin Heurter.

An Eye On Pace

Through 30 games, the Chicago Bulls are the 16th ranked team in possessions per game. Even though they are in the middle of the pack in pace, they rank 30th in three-point attempts. Instead, the team has preferred to work the ball inside, sitting at 5th in two-point field goal attempts. On the other side, Atlanta is the 21st rated team in possessions per game. Like their opponent, they also take a majority of their shots inside the arc, ranking 25th in three-point attempts per contest.

Key Matchups

Between the two teams, the Chicago Bulls will have most of their key players. Atlanta will be rolling out a unit that lacks talent and does not have experience playing together. The team will be relying on Bogdan Bogdan Bogdanovic and Clint Capela are the only remaining starters, but it is difficult to see them holding down the fort vs. one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.

The Historicals

Tonight’s matchup between the Bulls and Hawks will be their first meeting of the season. Last year, the two teams met up for three games, with Atlanta taking all three contests.

How the Public is Betting the Nuggets vs. Clippers

65% are betting the Bulls against the spread.
55% are wagering on the game to go Under the posted total of 208.5

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Betting Trends Worth Noting

• Chicago is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games
• Chicago is 5-2 ATS in its last seven games when playing on the road against Atlanta.
• The total has gone UNDER in four of Atlanta’s last five games
• The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Atlanta’s last six games when playing Chicago

Joe’s Pick Versus The Betting Line

Chicago is already coming into this game on a roll and should have no problem with a severely depleted Atlanta squad. Look for the Hawks to struggle to score the ball vs. a Chicago defense ranked 9th in points allowed per game. If you are looking to bet on the over-under, this game is a good candidate to finish below the line of 208.5.

Prop Bets Worth Wagering

My favorite prop bet of the night is to take Zach Lavine to have a big night scoring the ball. On the year, Lavine is hitting just under 40% of his three-point shots. Look for him to get plenty of quality looks vs. a depleted Hawks roster that already was a poor defensive team.