Tonight is about as must-win as it has been all season for the Chicago Bulls. They can still lose this game and make the postseason tournament, but if they want to improve their odds or make it much easier on themselves, tonight’s home game against the Atlanta Hawks is as crucial as it gets. The winner of tonight’s matchup will own the tiebreaker versus one another and will leap the other in the standings, likely for good. Just six hours before tip-off, the Bulls caught a major break that improved their chances of winning significantly.
Trae Young Sidelined
Wow, it does not get much luckier if you’re the Chicago Bulls. Young has averaged nearly 25 points and 11 assists over his three games against the Bulls this year and orchestrated some clutch plays in their overtime victory against Chicago earlier this season. Headed for his second straight season leading the NBA in total assists, Young is one of the game’s most dynamic playmakers and three-point shooters. He leads Atlanta in both points and assists per game. While Chicago’s defense has been stifling lately, especially since the addition of Patrick Beverley, this is still a huge boost for Chicago’s chances tonight.
De’Andre Hunter is not as big of an absence as Trae Young, but it will still help the Bulls’ chances even further. He averaged 16 points and six rebounds this season versus Chicago on better than 50% from the field, a solid role piece that will lessen the depth for the Hawks. If Chicago can win this, they’ll leap Atlanta in the standings to the ninth spot and remain behind Toronto by one game for the eighth position. That’s assuming the Raptors handle the 26-53 Charlotte Hornets tonight, where they’re favored by over 14 points.
Thriller Part Three
In December, the Hawks and Bulls played two games in under two weeks where each team buried the other on a game-ending buzzer-beater. The first came via AJ Griffin’s heroics at the horn, downing the Bulls 123-122 in overtime. Ten days later, Ayo Dosunmu caught a DeMar DeRozan shot attempt underneath the basket and laid it in as time expired to return the favor. The Bulls would win that one 110-108 to even the season series. In their last matchup, the Bulls handled the Hawks behind DeRozan and LaVine’s 46 points.
Magic Number = 1
With a 99.9% chance of making the Play-In Tournament, the Chicago Bulls’ magic number for a postseason berth sits at just one. With Atlanta, Milwaukee, Dallas, and Detroit on the schedule, just one win is all the Bulls need to secure more basketball beyond the regular season. Racking up three or four wins during that span may dramatically improve their standing and make their road to the playoffs much easier, but one is all that is required. Even then, with a loss from Orlando in any of their next four, the Bulls would be in regardless of how many they win from here on out.
nice