Let’s go ahead and say it: The final NBA Play-In Tournament game is the least appealing of the four, offering very little star power in a matchup of two teams that have been running in mud for the better part of the past four years.

Hawks vs Bulls Odds, Spread, Moneyline, Over/Under - NBA Play-In Tournament Betting Lines 4/17/24

Moneyline: Hawks (+120), Bulls (-140)
Spread: Hawks +3.5 (-120), Bulls -3.5 (+100)
Total: Over/Under 222.5 points

Hawks vs Bulls Prediction and Pick

Yes, the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks represent two of the largest markets in the United States, but their basketball fans have had little to get excited about for quite some time. The Hawks have never won a championship in Atlanta, while the Bulls peaked three decades ago when Michael Jordan was aboard, and he is somewhat of a tough act to follow.

Nonetheless, the NBA Play-In Tournament provides a playoff lifeline for teams that did not finish the season where they wanted to, and this No. 9 vs. No. 10 matchup will give a lifeline to one of these two teams. Chicago is playing at home and is favored by 3½ points.

Best Same-Game Parlay Picks for Hawks vs. Bulls: 4-Leg SGP Pick (+30,000)

Alex Caruso, 2+ blocks (+300)

The guy with the headband and a likely spot on the NBA’s All-Defensive First Team had two or more blocks 17 times this season, including once against Atlanta. On Wednesday night, he will be matched up against Trae Young, who was not the prolific scorer we had gotten used to seeing when he returned from a broken finger for the final three games of the regular season. Alex Caruso can get one block against the shorter Young and one against somebody else as a help defender, which he has been doing with alacrity for the better part of seven seasons. He averaged 1.0 blocks per game this season, which ranked 25th in the NBA.

SGP Pick-1: Alex Caruso to block two or more shots (+300)

Dejounte Murray, 35+ points (+750)

For the Hawks to have any chance of winning this game, they are going to need a huge offensive night from someone. We are picking Dejounte Murray to be that guy because we expect Alex Caruso to bottle up Trae Young and recognize that Murray has been one of the NBA’s most underrated scorers for several seasons. Murray scored 40 or more points four times this season, three of which came after March 13. He is not the triple-double machine that he was in San Antonio, but the Hawks are a different team than those Spurs squads, and this guy is best equipped to put his team on his shoulders. This is an enticing line for building a very nice parlay price.

SGP Pick-2: Dejounte Murray to score at least 35 points (+750)

DeMar DeRozan, 40+ points (+650)

Chicago forward DeMar DeRozan is known Mr. Midrange because he is that rare good outside shooter who is not great from 3-point range. At the same time, he also has the most postseason experience of anyone on the Bulls roster, and he won a championship ring when he was with the Toronto Raptors. Chicago’s other two primary scorers are Coby White and Nikola Vucevic, neither of whom has a history of great postseason play. Since we like guys who have proven their mettle before, we’ll take our chances that DeRozan can produce a 40-burger for the third time this season.

SGP-Leg 3: DeMar DeRozan to score at least 35 points (+650)

Bulls ML (-145)

How shall we say this delicately … the Hawks sort of suck, OK? Yes, they have the player most likely to rise to the occasion in Trae Young, but he has not scored 20 points since returning from his broken finger, and the Bulls are playing this one on their home court with a late starting time (8:30 p.m. local) that should allow Chicago fans to get a little extra fired up and then vocalize that support. Chicago will have to win twice to make the final eight in the East, which we do not see happening. However, the Bulls should have one good game left in them, and at the end of the day they are simply better and deeper than the Hawks. The hope in the home office is for a high-scoring game that is more competitive than what we saw in Tuesday night’s nightcap between Sacramento and Golden State.

SGP-Leg 4: Bulls moneyline (-145)

Putting those four picks together produces a same-game-parlay line of +30000, meaning a $10 wager would return $3,010 and a $100 wager would return $30,100, which is more than enough to get you and your best buddy to Philadelphia or Miami for the next Eastern Conference play-in game on Friday night. Good luck!

Odds are subject to change*

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