The Atlanta Hawks look to stay alive in the NBA Playoffs tonight, Thursday May 12th, as they host the Chicago Bulls for Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals. The Bulls have a 3-2 series lead and can book a meeting with Miami, if they win! NBA oddsmakers have the Bulls as -3.5 point road favourites over the Hawks with the over/under set at 178.5 points. Be sure to check the Bulls vs Hawks NBA Point Spreads and get your predictions in early.
Chicago (7-3, 2-2 V) beat Atlanta 95-83, at home, in Game 5 and now have a 3-2 lead heading into tonight’s Game 6 with a chance to advance in the East, where they’ll play Miami. Derrick Rose scored 33 points; Luol Deng added 23 points while Taj Gibson scored all of his 11 in the fourth quarter. The Bulls dominated the Hawks in the fourth quarter 26-15. Rose was particularly effective down the stretch, attacking the rim. “It forces the defense to collapse, leads to easy opportunities for others, it leads to some second shots,” Coach Tom Thibodeau said. “We want to be inside-out so I thought it was huge.” The Bulls had an NBA-leading 62 wins during the regular season — 18 more than Atlanta — but don't have a lot of playoff experience. Just one more win will send them to the conference final for the first time since 1998, when Jordan and Scottie Pippen were on their way to a second three-peat.
Atlanta (6-5, 4-1 H) is on the brink of elimination and have to figure out a way to stave off the Bulls, and they’ll start with home court advantage. Atlanta’s Jeff Teague came up big again filling in for the injured Kirk Hinrich, scoring 21 for the third time in this series, but the Hawks came up short in the end. Josh Smith contributed 16 points. Joe Johnson 15, Zaza Pachulia 13 and Al Horford added 12 points and 10 rebounds. “We were playing for everything,” Horford said. “We have to regroup again and get ready for Thursday.” “The series is not over with,” Smith said. “We have to go and play with a ton of energy on Thursday. We have to do a better job of keeping Derrick Rose out of our paint. If we do that we should be coming back here to play a Game 7.” The Hawks expect their up-and-down squad to respond with one of its best efforts of the year on Thursday. "This is just another great opportunity to show what we're made of," Drew said. "We have been a team that always responded with our backs against the wall. We've always been a team that responded through adversity."
Recent Trends to Consider:
Over is 9-2 in the last 11 meetings in Atlanta.
Bulls are 5-2 ATS in the last 7 meetings.
Favorite is 5-2 ATS in the last 7 meetings.
Over is 11-5 in the last 16 meetings.
Bulls are 2-5 ATS in the last 7 meetings in Atlanta.
Bulls are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games following a SU win of more than 10 points.
Bulls are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games following a ATS win.
Hawks are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games as a home underdog of 0.5-4.5.
Hawks are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a S.U. loss.
Hawks are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 home games.
Bulls vs Hawks
When: Thursday, May 12, 8:00 PM ET
Pick: Bulls -3.5
Point-Spreads.com recommends you check out NBA Point Spreads before Bulls vs Hawks game.
The Bottom Line: The Hawks can’t collapse in the fourth; the fourth quarter has to be their best. Be sure to check Bulls vs Hawks Basketball Point Spreads and get your predictions in early.
