Filip Tomic
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It’s win or go home tonight at the United Center as the Chicago Bulls square off with the Atlanta Hawks in the 9th vs 10th seed game in the NBA Play-In Tournament. Tip-off is at 9:30 pm ET on ESPN, and to add a little extra spice, I’ve prepared a Hawks vs Bulls Same Game Parlay for the matchup. After going 2-0 with yesterday’s predictions, make sure you also check out our NBA picks for tonight’s games and every matchup of the NBA postseason.
Bulls ML (-154)
DeMar DeRozan to score 25+ points (-290)
Dejounte Murray to record 6+ assists (+105)
Bogdan Bogdanovic over 2.5 made threes (-186)
Same Game Parlay odds: +519
Chicago Bulls ML over Atlanta Hawks (-154)
The Hawks flat-out embarrassed themselves in the grand finale of the regular season, losing 157-115 to the Indiana Pacers. Although the game carried very little weight for them, Atlanta’s effort on defense was nowhere to be seen, and as a basketball fan it was really hard to watch that game. Trae Young’s return hasn’t turned things around, and if you’re a Hawks fan you have to be worried going into this game.
When the Bulls are favorites they usually win, as in their last 20 such games they’re 13-7. DeMar DeRozan will be the best player out there on the court on Wednesday night and he is among the frontrunners for the Clutch Player of the Year award. These play-in games usually go down to the very last possession and having great of execution down the stretch when it matters the most could be the difference here. I have to go with the Bulls.
Read our full Atlanta Hawks vs Chicago Bulls predictions
DeMar DeRozan to score 25+ points (-290)
As I mentioned earlier, DeRozan is one of those vintage one-on-one players who are capable of taking over games by themselves when it matters the most. He’s proven to be elite time and time again, and even this season he finished averaging 24 points per game at the tender age of 34. He’s upped those numbers to an impressive 29.9 points per game and 51% shooting from the field over his last 9 outings, and without a strong performance from him, the Bulls won’t stand much of a chance. He’s had some really good games against the Hawks this year as well – averaging 28.3 points in 3 meetings, shooting over 49% from the field and 90% from the free-throw line. DeRozan has cleared this line in 3 straight meetings and in 7 of the last 9 head-to-head.
See our picks for tonight’s other NBA play-in game with our Miami Heat vs Philadelphia 76ers predictions
Dejounte Murray to record 6+ assists (+105)
Murray’s responsibilities on the Hawks have increased quite a lot ever since Young went down with that injury and he’s responded well, especially on the playmaking front. Over his last 9 games, he’s averaging 8 assists per game which is a significant increase to his season average of 6.4 per game. The matchup against DeRozan and/or Caruso won’t be ideal, but with Murray dishing out double-digit assists in 3 of his last 6 games, I think 6 assists here is a very realistic expectation. In the 3 meetings with Chicago, he’s averaging 6.3 dimes per game in 34 minutes per game. With the season on the line, I wouldn’t be surprised if he logged over 40 minutes here. If that happens, getting 6 assists won’t be too difficult.
Lock in our expert’s NBA playoffs futures best bets for the postseason, including a +1200 pick!
Bogdan Bogdanovic over 2.5 made threes (-186)
The Serbian sharpshooter has delivered some really impressive performances against Chicago lately, averaging 24 points per game in the last 4 meetings. In 3 of those 4 games, he shot the ball 60% or better from the field, while making at least 3 threes in 3 of them. The return of Trae Young might mean fewer shot attempts for him, but that shouldn’t discourage people from backing him to have a big game here. He is still the 3rd scoring option on this team behind Young and Murray, and when the stakes are high coaches usually rely on their most consistent performers, and Bogey has definitely been that this season. In 2 games at the United Center he’s averaged 21 points per game on 50% shooting, so we can only hope he continues his solid production here as the Hawks try to keep their season alive.
