NBA Play-In Tournament: Hawks vs. Bulls Betting Picks

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The 2023-24 NBA Playoffs are almost here. But first, we need to sort out the final seeds via the Play-In Tournament.

For those unfamiliar with the Play-In Tournament, FanDuel Research has you covered -- you can check out our Play-In Tournament breakdown.

While the Western Conference's half of the bracket features some intense matchups between rival franchises, the Eastern Conference will highlight a different kind of battle -- two teams that qualified with losing records.

The Atlanta Hawks enter the tournament as a 10 seed after finishing the regular season with a 36-46 record. They endured a tumultuous campaign, losing Trae Young partway through the year, but could be poised for Cinderella playoff run now that he's back on the court.

Likewise, the 9 seed Chicago Bulls finished the year with a 39-43 record. After a concerningly slow start to the season, they battled to a Play-In Tournament berth.

The Bulls and Hawks faced off on three separate occasions during the regular season. The Bulls claimed victory in two of those outings. Can they pull off another win with real stakes on the line?

Let's check out this game's NBA odds on FanDuel Sportsbook to see how the market thinks this one will shake out.

All NBA odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook and may change after this article is published.

NBA Play-In Tournament Betting

Hawks vs. Bulls Betting Odds

Date and Time: Wednesday, April 17th at 9:30 p.m. ET

Spread: Bulls -3.0 (-112)

Total: 220.5

Moneyline:

Hawks: +126
Bulls: -148

Hawks vs. Bulls Advanced Stats Breakdown

nERD via numberFire. Adjusted offensive/defensive ratings, pace, and shot distribution via DunksAndThrees.

Atlanta Hawks:
- nERD: 42.8 (22nd)
- Adjusted Offensive Rating: 116.6 (12th)
- Adjusted Defensive Rating: 118.7 (27th)
- Pace: 100.5 (6th)
- Against-the-Spread Record: 29-52-1
- Shot Distribution and Efficiency:
  - Rim: 33.8% (17th) - 59.5% (28th)
  - Mid: 25.4% (12th) - 45.5% (6th)
  - 3PT: 40.8% (9th) - 36.4% (17th)
Chicago Bulls:
- nERD: 47.4 (20th)
- Adjusted Offensive Rating: 114.2 (19th)
- Adjusted Defensive Rating: 116.3 (22nd)
- Pace: 96.8 (28th)
- Against-the-Spread Record: 41-40-1
- Shot Distribution and Efficiency:
  - Rim: 33.7% (19th) - 60.7% (24th)
  - Mid: 30.5% (29th) - 45% (7th)
  - 3PT: 35.8% (28th) - 35.9% (20th)

Hawks vs. Bulls Best Bet

Over 220.5 Points (-108)

This game features a fair number of question marks for a pair of playoff-hopeful teams, but one thing feels fairly certain -- this should be a pretty high-scoring game.

The Hawks played at one of the fastest paces in the league this year, often dragging their opponents into shootouts. As a result, the Hawks' opponents averaged the second-most points per game in the league (120.5). In tandem with those foes, they crested this game's 220.5-point mark in 66 of their 82 games during the season.

Hawks point guard Trae Young is a pace-accelerator. When he's on the court, the Hawks' pace increases by 5.3 possessions per 48 minutes -- Atlanta's opponents averaged an additional 6.1 possessions per 48 with him on the court, as well.

By comparison, the Bulls played at the third-slowest pace this season. But even they should get dragged into a shootout against this Hawks team. In three previous contests during the regular season, these teams averaged a combined 235.7 points per game -- all in regulation time.

Of those three games, just one failed to reach this game's 220.5-point over -- their bout on April 1st, which totaled 214 points. Young missed that game but played in each of the other two.

It is also worth noting that the Bulls' offense really took off after Zach LaVine (ankle) left the lineup. In October and November, the Bulls averaged just 106.9 points per game. That would have ranked fourth-worst overall if it had held up for the full campaign. After LaVine's injury, they cranked their average per-game output up to 114.0 points a night.

Despite the reputation they earned for bad offense in the early parts of the season, the Bulls and their opponents still surpassed 220 points in 52 of Chicago's 82 games this season. Since the calendar flipped to 2024, they broke 220 combined points in 31 of their 48 outings.

This game's 220.5 total seems to be reflecting two circumstances that just no longer apply. The Bulls looked terrible to open the year but began figuring things out a bit starting in December. And the Hawks slowed things down a little without Young, but he's back up to full speed for the Play-In Tournament. I'm expecting this one to finish above 220.5 points.

Get in on the action today! All customers get a No Sweat Same Game Parlay to use on any NBA Play-In Tournament game on April 16th! See the promotions page for full details.

Looking for the latest NBA odds? Head over to FanDuel Sportsbook and check out all of the NBA betting options.

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author’s advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.