The Atlanta Hawks hope the fourth time’s the charm as they host the Chicago Bulls tonight. The Bulls have won all three matchups so far this season but Atlanta is playing much better basketball at the moment. They’ve won three of their last four but come into this one as home dogs so let’s take a closer look to see if we can cash in tonight.
Chicago Bulls vs. Atlanta Hawks
Thursday, March 3, 2022 – 7:00 PM EST at State Farm Arena
Bulls Are Real Deal This Season
The line for this game opened at -4 for the Chicago Bulls. Most of the top online sportsbooks adjusted the line once the news that Trae Young is questionable was released. Now, most sportsbooks have the line at Bulls -2 on the road.
We already know how good Chicago is and their development has been one of the stories of the NBA. A lot of people criticized the contract that the Bulls gave DeMar DeRozan. Fast forward a few months and it's probably the biggest bargain in the league.
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DeRozan has been nothing short of an MVP candidate and the fact that he's having his best season at age 32 is very much a basketball anomaly. When you pair that with All-Star Zach LaVine, you have the type of dynamic duo that can take you on a playoff run.
Credit has to be given to LaVine for allowing DeRozan to shine the way he has. This was his team and to some extent still is, but he's now mature enough as a player to not let DeRozan's success stop him from being a productive, All-Star level player himself. In fact, when you watch Chicago, you'll regularly see LaVine cheering on DeRozan.
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I think the Bulls' chemistry is one of the biggest reasons they are only 1.5 games behind the Miami Heat for first place in the Eastern Conference. I also think that they have a favorable matchup when they face Atlanta.
Ayo Dosunmu has become a fan favorite not just because he's a local kid who stayed at home to play at Illinois and now his hometown Bulls. He's actually a quality player that a lot of teams passed on. More importantly, he's been excellent when guarding Trae Young.
Hawks Improving but Still Not Good Enough
Young's struggles versus Dosunmu are real but that doesn't mean he can't overcome them. The reason that my official play for tonight is Bulls -1.5 (-110), which is available at Bovada has to do with Young's ankle injury.
Even if he goes, you can expect the Bulls to single him out as any team would. Dosunmu is the type of player that can really give Young problems due to his size and aggressive nature. Just to give you an idea of how ineffective Trae has been against the Bulls, through three games, he's shooting 33% from the field including an ugly 17% from three.
On the flip side, the Hawks have underachieved this season because of their poor defense. Defense is what made them successful when Nate McMillan took over last season. Right now, they are the number 2 ranked offense in the league in terms of efficiency.
Unfortunately, their 27th ranked defense has them 3 games under .500 this late in the season. If the Hawks are going to turn things around and make it back to the playoffs, these are the types of games they need to win. I don't see that happening with the Bulls currently on a two-game losing streak of their own.
For my NBA pick, I think Chicago comes out focused and determined to get back on the winning track against a team they've beaten by an average of ten a game this season.
NBA Pick: Bulls -1.5 (-110) with Bovada (visit our Bovada Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
