Bulls vs Hawks Pick, Preview & Betting Odds For Wednesday, December 21st

Check out our free Bulls vs Hawks pick and preview for this NBA game in Atlanta. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this NBA matchup.

Bulls vs Hawks NBA Pick & Preview

Sport: NBA
Teams: Chicago Bulls at Atlanta Hawks
Where: Atlanta at State Farm Arena
Date: Wednesday, December 21st
Betting Odds ATL -6.5, CHI +216 | ATL -272 O/U 233.5

The Bulls come into today’s matchup with an overall record of 12-18. So far, the team has gone 14-16-0 against the spread. Over the team’s past 3 games, Chicago has an overall record of 1-2, including going 1-2 against the spread.

Chicago is going for yet another win, as they previously defeated the Heat. With the 113-103 victory, they also covered the spread as 1 point underdogs. Chicago actually trailed the Heat by 5 before putting themselves on top with a strong 3rd quarter performance. Going into the final period, the team led by 11. Leading the team in scoring was Nikola Vucevic, as he contributed 29 points while hitting 76.5% of his shots.

The Hawks come into today’s matchup with an overall record of 16-15. So far, the team has gone 12-18-1 against the spread. The Hawks entered today’s game having picked up 2 straight wins. This has come on an average scoring differential of 10.0 points per game.

The Hawks are coming off a 126-125 win over the Magic. Although they came away with a straight up win, it was not enough to cover the spread as they entered as 8 point favorites. Atlanta went on to win the game, as they led by 3 heading into halftime. In the win, Trae Young led the team in scoring with 37 points on a field goal percentage of 50.0%.

Head To Head Recap & Stats

I In last year’s head-to-head meetings, the Bulls averaged 124.25 points per game vs Atlanta, which was an increase over their season-long average. While the Bulls saw a boost in scoring, the Hawks averaged 118.25 points per contest in head-to-head meeting vs Chicago. This figure was similar to season-long average. Across the previous 5 meetings between the teams, the Bulls have an average scoring margin of +4 points per game, leading to an ATS mark of 4-1. Chicago and Atlanta averaged a combined 242 points per game in these games, leading to an over-under mark of 4-1.

Odds & Free Betting Analysis For This NBA Game

This season, the Chicago offense is ranked 15th in the NBA in scoring at 113.2 points per game. In terms of pace, the Bulls are on the top units in the NBA, averaging 100.6 possessions per game. However, they have not been able to pair this up-tempo speed with overall scoring efficiency, as they are just 13th in made field goals per game.

Against the Hawks, the Bulls will need a stronger defensive effort as they are ranked just 17th in points allowed.

Small-Forward DeMar DeRozan currently leads the Bulls at 25.8 points per game. For the season, he is 29th in the NBA in usage rate and has taken 20.5% of the team’s field goal attempts. In addition to his scoring, DeRozan is averaging 4.9 boards and 4.7 assists per contest. In today’s game, he is facing off against the NBA’s 18th ranked defense at defending small-forwards. Zach LaVine enters the game sitting second on the team in scoring. Through 26 games, he is averaging 21.7 and is 114th in the league in player efficiency rating.

This season, the Atlanta offense has had their problems scoring the ball as they are a below average unit at 114.3 points per game. Coming into today’s game, the Hawks will be looking to improve their 3-point shooting numbers, as they are averaging just 10.2 made 3’s per game. Not only is the Atlanta offense struggling with their outside shot, but they are also getting to the charity stripe at a below average rate. So far, they are the 19th ranked team in made free-throws per contest.

Currently, the Hawks defense is ranked 21st in points allowed. So far, opposing teams are averaging 112.38 points per game vs the unit.

This season, the Hawks offense has primarily worked through Trae Young and Dejounte Murray who are 1st and 2nd on the team in scoring. In his 28 games, Young is 12th in the NBA at 27.3 points per game. So far, him and Murray have accounted for 43% of the team’s field goal attempts while combining to average 47.900000000000006 points per contest. In addition to sitting 2nd on the team in scoring, Dejounte Murray is grabbing 5.4 rebounds for Atlanta to go along with 6.1 assists.