Senior Writer Vegas Matty previews Chicago Bulls (50-19) at Atlanta Hawks (40-30) from the standpoint of the spread bettor.
The Chicago Bulls (50-19) are charging hard toward the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race down the final stretch of the regular season and will be making a quick one-game stop in Atlanta on Tuesday to visit the Hawks (40-30). The Bulls (-4) are coming off a 132-92 rout of Sacramento at home on Monday but lost in their last trip here, one of just two setbacks in their last 14 games overall.
Chicago blew a 19-point lead in that last game at Atlanta en route to an 83-80 loss but reeled off eight straight wins following that defeat, including a 94-76 home victory against the Hawks on March 11. The winning streak ended with a 115-108 overtime loss at Indiana last Friday despite Derrick Rose’s 42 points. The team has gone 6-1 against the spread in its last seven games.
Rose was finally able to get some rest in the blowout against the Kings, totaling 18 points and eight assists in a season-low 28 minutes. He reportedly said he was feeling “beat up” after the loss to the Pacers but figures to continue to see heavy minutes. A season-high eight Bulls scored in double figures against Sacramento, including Carlos Boozer, who scored 16 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in his first game back after missing the previous five with a sprained ankle.
Atlanta had dropped two straight and six of eight overall before beating Detroit 104-96 on Sunday. Al Horford led six Hawks who scored in double figures with 18 points and also had a team-high 10 boards. Horford scored a season-high 31 points and 16 rebounds in the last home meeting with Chicago but had just six and seven nine days later in the rematch.
With a 4-5 playoff matchup with Orlando pretty much set, Atlanta could possibly face the Bulls in the second round. The Hawks are 4.5 games behind the Magic for the fourth spot in the East but also four games ahead of sixth-place Philadelphia. They have failed to cover six of their last eight games and are just 13-21 ATS at home this season.
The Bulls have lost eight of the last 10 meetings with Atlanta, failing to cover seven of the past nine. The UNDER has cashed in three of the last four meetings overall, but the OVER is 6-2 in the last eight games played between the teams in Atlanta. The OVER has also cashed in two straight for Chicago overall and three of four for the Hawks.
Top expert pick on today’s card: The Stevie Vincent is the King of Offshore because of winning at a sustained rate never before seen in sports betting. As he just released Level 5 winners on both pro basketball and collegiate hardwood, an international sports betting bulletin has been issued. All gamblers are instructed to make their maximum wagers on each Level 5.
It’s a pro basketball side and a collegiate over/under. Get Rivers card for Tuesday.