Pointspread: Chicago -2 ½ Over/Under: 185 The Chicago Bulls and the Atlanta Hawks will play each other for the first time this season in what will be the first of three meetings scheduled for the month of March. Tonight?s tip-off from Philips Arena is set for 7 p.m. (ET) and the game will be available on NBA League Pass.
Chicago continues to push for the top spot in the Eastern Conference with seven wins in its last 10 games including three straight heading into tonight. The Bulls ran their record to 41-17 straight-up (35-21-2 against the spread) with a 105-77 romp over Washington as a 7 ½-point road favorite this past Monday night. They are currently just two games behind Boston in the standings.
Derrick Rose continues to put up MVP-like numbers with 24.8 points, 8.1 assists, and 4.4 rebounds a game while Carlos Boozer is second in scoring with 18.9 points and second in rebounds with 9.7. Chicago got a major lift when their leading rebounder Joakim Noah returned to the lineup after missing close to 30 games with a thumb injury.
Atlanta went 3-4 SU in its recent seven-game road trip and is coming off a 100-90 loss to Denver as a 6 ½-point road underdog this past Monday. The Hawks are 36-24 SU on the year and 27-33 ATS. They are currently in fifth-place in the East; eight games back.
The Hawks have five players scoring in double-figures led by Joe Johnson?s 19.3 points a game. Josh Smith is second with 16.7 points while Al Horford is averaging 16 points and a team-high 9.8 rebounds a game. Jamal Crawford remains one of the best players off the bench with 15 points and 3.2 assists per game.
Chicago is 4-1 ATS in its last five games on the road and Atlanta is 3-3 ATS in its last six games at home. Head-to-head, the Hawks have won seven of the last eight games SU and are 6-1 ATS.
Stick with Atlanta as a 2 ½-point underdog as it responds with an outright win at home after a long road trip.
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