NBA Betting Picks: Atlanta Hawks at Chicago Bulls

Added on May 09, 2011 by Jack Thurman in

NBA

One NBA betting opportunity on Tuesday as the Eastern Conference playoffs continue as the Chicago Bulls host the Atlanta Hawks. Hawks have done what they’ve done a number of times in the past few years–follow up an unspectacular regular season with an inspired run in the playoffs. They upset Orlando in the first round and are now trying to pull an even more impressive feat by eliminating the Chicago Bulls.

Atlanta Hawks at Chicago Bulls
April 10, 2011 5:05 PM Pacific

Credit to the Atlanta Hawks for making this a much tougher series than anyone imagined. They stole Game 1 in Chicago and earned a victory at home in Game 4 leaving the series tied 2-2 heading back to the United Center for Game 5. From a wagering perspective, the second round of the playoffs has never been kind to the Hawks–they’re 2-9 ATS at this stage since 2008 and dating back even further are on a 4-16 ATS run in the second round of the playoffs.

That being said, this could be a good spot to play on Atlanta. We don’t expect them to get the outright win, but they’re facing a Bulls team that just hasn’t been covering pointspreads in the playoffs. They’re 4-5 ATS so far, but there hasn’t been much adjustment in the prices they’re facing. More significantly, the Hawks have been a surprisingly tough matchup for the Bulls over the past three years–Atlanta is 9-5 SU/ATS overall since 2008 and 4-3 SU/ATS in Chicago.

Chicago has been a great investment in a ‘bounce back’ situation where they’re coming off a SU loss as a favorite–they’re 11-4 SU/12-3 ATS in that role this year. We just don’t like the idea of laying this many points with a team that wins more with defense than offense. Carlos Boozer, one of Chicago’s primary offensive weapons during the regular season, is playing with an injured toe that has kept him out of action at times during the postseason and limited his productivity when he’s been in the lineup. We still love this Chicago team but just can’t make a case for laying a ton of points against a Hawks team that matches up well with the Bulls and has waited until the playoffs to play their best basketball of the year.

Bet Atlanta Hawks +8′ over Chicago Bulls