Chicago Bulls at Atlanta Hawks

Betting Odds

Point Spread: Chicago Bulls (-3.5)
Game Total Line: (179)
(wagering lines available at Sportsbook.com)

The Bulls broke a 2-2 series tie with Tuesday’s 95-83 victory. Chicago used a dominant fourth quarter to pull away, outscoring Atlanta 26-15.

After playing gritty defense and crashing the boards all season, the Bulls failed in that department in Game 3, which cost them the game. Though they weren’t much improved on the glass—Chicago outrebounded Atlanta 37-33 on Tuesday—the Bulls did a much better job defending the paint. Al Horford and Josh Smith combined for 43 points and 21 rebounds in Game 4, but the duo was held to 28 points and 17 rebounds this time around.

Derrick Rose continues to carry the Bulls offensively. He racked up 33 points and nine assists on Tuesday, while recording just a pair of turnovers. At the other end of the spectrum, Carlos Boozer was a major disappointment. The forward looked like he’d finally snapped his shooting slump after going 7-for-10 for 18 points in Game 4; Boozer regressed to 4-for-11 for just 11 points in Game 5. At least he hauled in 12 boards.

With Boozer dragging his feet, Luol Deng and Taj Gibson stepped up. Deng scored 23 points, while Gibson chipped in 11 points off the bench. Moving forward, it wouldn’t be surprising if Joakim Noah has a big game on Thursday; he was held to just six rebounds and zero points on Tuesday, his worst effort of the postseason.

Atlanta’s hopes that Josh Smith was poised for some kind of breakthrough were dashed in the loss; he couldn’t duplicate his brilliant line from Game 4 and was held to a rather modest 16-points, seven-rebound evening.

But at least Smith didn’t totally mail it in like the club’s two best players. Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford continued their schizophrenic play. Johnson was average at best, finishing 6-for-15 with 15 points. Crawford was miserable, going 1-for-9 with just two points. Neither of those players can really be trusted to show up—it’s hit or miss with Crawford and Johnson.

Jeff Teague is the main reason Atlanta hung around as long as it did. The second-year guard averaged just 14 minutes and 5.2 points during the regular season, but he’s been a real threat in the Chicago series, averaging over 40 minutes per game and 17.0 points. He racked up 21 points and seven rebounds on Tuesday.

After going over in back-to-back games, the total went under in Game 5. It has gone over three times and under twice in the series. SIA has set the total for Game 6 at 179 points.

Point Spread Pick

The Bulls over powered the Hawks in the 4th quarter of Game 5 to get the win and the point spread cover as the Hawks looked spent. Atlanta need to shoot the lights out and win the battle on the boards to have any chance against the Bulls. I don't see that happening on Thursday. While Chicago is much better at home, Atlanta does not have a huge home court advantage. The Bulls smell blood and will end the series in Atlanta.
Take the Chicago -3.5 at SIA and grab a free $200 to bet on NBA games!!