For teams on the bubble in the NBA, it’s now crunch time. Both the Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls will have play-in tournament seeds in mind when they face one another on Monday night. Each team looks comfortable to make the 2024 NBA play-in tournament. However, they are jostling for seeds and the homecourt advantage implications. In a game that will start at 8:10 PM ET on April 1st, 2024, the Bulls are favored at -3.0 (bet365). My Hawks vs Bulls prediction is that Atlanta will win this game as a minor underdog.
NBA Matchup: Hawks vs Bulls
Away: Atlanta Hawks
Home: Chicago Bulls
Game time: Monday, April 1st, 2024 @ 8:10 PM ET
Hawks vs Bulls odds (home team’s spread): -3.0 (bet365)
Atlanta vs Chicago Prediction: Recent NBA News
Atlanta currently sits 10th in the NBA’s Eastern Conference. Chicago currently sits in 9th. There are just two wins in the win column separating the teams. This is an important game as the team that finishes 9th will have homecourt advantage in the first stage of the play-in tournament.
Atlanta enters the game with a 34-40 record overall. They last played on Saturday, a game that they lost to the Milwaukee Bucks. Previously, Atlanta had defeated Boston twice amid a four-game winning streak. With eight games to go, Atlanta appears likely to finish 10th as the Brooklyn Nets are almost eliminated from contention.
This game against Chicago does have some pressure for Atlanta. Should they lose, then they would be well back of Chicago for 9th spot. The Hawks would be looking at needing to win two road games in the play-in tournament, in that case.
Atlanta Hawks injuries: recent news
Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu will both be out for this game, according to Brad Rowland. Kobe Bufkin is questionable, according to the same source. The Hawks have been without Trae Young, their starting point guard for a little while now. Their results have improved as they have a higher winning percentage without Young relative to what they had with him. Bettors should not be opposing Atlanta on the basis that they are without Young at this point.
Double-check for playing status updates with Atlanta (23:42 ET time of writing): Team’s Depth Chart
Chicago Bulls injuries: recent news
The Chicago Bulls played on Sunday, a game that they won over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Chicago played their starters a lot in the game. DeMar DeRozan had 39 minutes while Coby White had 41. The rest of their starters had between 33 and 36 minutes in the contest. Chicago looks like they could be tough in this back-to-back situation.
Their injury news could see some updates on Monday. As per the team’s late-Sunday depth chart with ESPN, there weren’t any injury details except for ones that were previously known. However, bettors should be cautious about backing this team before game time. You want to make sure all the players who logged big minutes on Sunday are still healthy for Monday’s game.
Double-check status updates Chicago (23:42 ET time of writing):: Team’s Depth Chart
Hawks vs Bulls Prediction: Betting Tips
I think bettors should be going with Atlanta in this contest, at least with the handicap points of +3.0 (bet365). However, I don’t mind the betting odds on Atlanta’s moneyline. The team is at +120 at a time when they have won four of their last five and ten of their last eighteen. In backing Atlanta early, you can hope that the injury updates favor them as they were idle on Sunday while Chicago played. My recommendation is the minor upset with Atlanta at +120.
Featured: ATP Ranking Projections
