The No. 10 Atlanta Hawks (36-46) will take on the No. 9 Chicago Bulls (39-43) in the final game of the opening round of the NBA Play-In Tournament. The winner will advance to take on the loser of Heat vs 76ers for a chance to claim the East’s No. 8 seed.
Despite finishing with sub-.500 records, the Hawks and Bulls boast plenty of star power. Atlanta is led by guards Trae Young and Dejounte Murray, while Chicago has overcome a litany of injuries thanks to DeMar DeRozan, Coby White, and Nikola Vučević.
We won’t go over our prediction for this Play-In showdown, but we will highlight the best player props to take advantage of ahead of the action.
Hawks vs Bulls Odds
Use our NBA odds to locate the best ways to bet on Hawks vs Bulls:
Hawks vs Bulls Player Props
Trae Young: Under 22.5 Points (+100) @ Bulls
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Young hasn’t quite looked himself since returning from a month-long absence last week. A minute restriction has kept his scoring totals down, but he hasn’t played a particularly clean game, either, notching a season-high eight turnovers in Atlanta’s season finale against Indiana.
Moreover, this isn’t a great matchup for the three-time All-Star. The Bulls allow the fourth-fewest points per game to opposing points guards (23.01), per FantasyPros, and Young failed to score more than 21 in his two meetings with Chicago this season.
With that in mind, I expect Young to take a pass-first approach tonight while Murray prioritizes scoring. The latter has averaged 24.5 points per game since the All-Star break and is a prime candidate to get hot from beyond the arc.
Lean toward the Under with your NBA bet of the day.
De’Andre Hunter: Over 2.5 Threes (+120) @ Bulls
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Few teams have been more vulnerable to the three-point shot than Chicago, which ranks 30th in opponent three-point attempts (39.5) in 29th in makes (14.6) per game. Even at that volume, the Bulls have allowed teams to shoot 37% from beyond the arc.
Considering the circumstances, Atlanta could be in for a productive night from outside. That’s why I’m highlighting Hunter to sink at least three at (+120).
- See our Heat vs 76ers props for more NBA Play-In betting tips.
The 26-year-old is in the midst of a career shooting year, knocking down 38.5% of his 5.3 three-point attempts per game. Hunter went 4-of-7 and 2-of-10 from downtown in two meetings with Chicago during the regular season.
With a handful of key players sidelined and Young still getting back up to speed, Hunter should have every opportunity to surpass this total.
Hawks vs Bulls Prop Bets
1Q Under 57.5 Points (-115)
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The Bulls play at one of the NBA’s slowest paces, and unsurprisingly, that hasn’t translated to scoring bursts out of the gate. Chicago scored the third-fewest first-quarter points per game (26.5) during the regular season, ranking just above Portland (26.0) and Charlotte (25.5).
Atlanta was more efficient at No. 12 (29.6), but this offense is not currently operating at its peak. We know Young is still getting acclimated, and the absences of Jalen Johnson, Saddiq Bey, and Onyeka Okongwu don’t help.
Perhaps one of these two teams will get hot early, but it seems more likely that it’ll take time for each side to get established. I like the first-quarter Under at 57.5 points.
Hawks: Under 110.5 Points (-120)
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If Tuesday’s Play-In games were any sign of what’s to come tonight, we should expect another round of low-scoring contests. Things do tend to slow down in the playoffs as defense becomes a higher priority, so it’s not a huge surprise.
As such, I’m leaning toward the Under on the Hawks’ team total at 110.5 points. They’ve been relatively average on that end of the floor since the All-Star break (112.2 points per game), and Young’s return hasn’t yet been the shot in the arm that Atlanta needs.
Plus, if the shots aren’t falling from outside, Quin Snyder’s squad could be in for a long night — the Bulls allow the fewest two-point makes (26.5) and attempts (47.5) per game in the NBA.
