TDG’s NBA PLAY-IN TOURNAMENT GAME OF THE YEAR
- Handicapper
- Team Del Genio
- League
- NBA
- Competition
- Atlanta Hawks vs Chicago Bulls
- Time
- 04/17/2024 09:49 PM
- Bet Type
- Point Spread
- Pick
-
Chicago Bulls -3 (-110)
(BetOnline)
- Outcome
- Win
- Analysis
- Our 25* NBA Play-In Tournament Game of the Year is with Chicago minus the points versus Atlanta at 9:40 pm et.
The Atlanta Hawks have the opportunity to use the play-in tournament to reach the Eastern Conference playoffs for the third straight season. They did it from the ninth seed/tenth seed bracket two years ago, so the urgency to win two games this week is not new to the core of this roster. Yet things seem different this year after the Hawks lost their final six games of the regular season to conclude with a disappointing 36-46 record. Trae Young missed many of those games due to injury, but things were not moving in the right direction even when he was healthy. He was not a good fit with Dejounte Murray in the backcourt, and Atlanta got outscored when those two guards were on the court together. Management seems committed to head coach Quin Snyder who they hired in the midseason last year. The roster seems headed for a major shakeup with Young and/or Murray likely on the trade block. The play-in tournament can offer struggling teams new life, yet the Hawks have shown no sign that they are even interested in attempting to pull off what the Miami Heat did last year. Injuries may simply have left the remaining roster too depleted to believe they can flip the switch. Jalen Johnson stepped up nicely to replace the departed John Collins in the offseason but he is out with an ankle injury. Saddiq Bey suffered a season-ending torn ACL. Onyeki Okongwu is out with a toe injury. The remaining players are thin in the frontcourt and mostly liabilities on defense (with De’Andre Hunter being a notable exception). For some reason, management did not extend the contract of Vit Krejci for the postseason even though the two-way guard has played at least 15 minutes in nineteen of their last twenty games. In their 157-115 loss at Indiana on Sunday, the Pacers made 65.0% of their shots against them. Atlanta has not shown the resolve to pick themselves up after embarrassing losses like that. They have covered the point spread only twice in their last fourteen games after losing on the road by ten or more points. They have covered the point spread in three of their last twenty games after getting beat by 15 or more points. They have covered the point spread in three of their last fifteen games after giving up 130 or more points in their previous game. On the road, they have covered the point spread in twelve of their last thirty-six games on the road when the oddsmakers installed the over/under at 220 or higher. This is the Hawks’ third straight game on the road, and they have covered the point spread in eight of their last thirty-one games when playing on the road for the third or more time in a row.
Chicago may not have realistic plans to make a deep run in the playoffs, but at least they consistently play hard for their fans and head coach Billy Donovan. They took New York to overtime on the road in Madison Square Garden on Sunday despite not having anything to play for with the ninth seed locked up in the Eastern Conference playoffs. DeMar DeRozan is the steady leader of this team who leads the NBA in minutes played. Coby White is in contention to win the Most Improved Player award. Alex Caruso will receive plenty of votes for the All-Defensive Teams. The Bulls' defense has struggled yet they do rank in the top eight in defending both ball-handler scoring and pull-up jumpers when facing pick-and-rolls. In his two games against Chicago this year, Young only made 9 of his 31 shots. These two teams played on April 1st with Atlanta upsetting the Bulls in Chicago as a 2-point underdog despite Young being out still for that game. Chicago has covered the point spread in twenty-eight of their last forty-three games when avenging a loss by ten or more points to their current opponent. Young has played three games since returning from injury yet has only averaged 15.0 points per game. Play Chicago minus the points.
Good luck - Team Del Genio.
