Chicago is hoping to keep their season going for at least one more game.
The NBA regular season came to a close on Sunday, and now, it’s time for the postseason. The race for the championship seems pretty open this year, and the next two months of basketball should provide a ton of excitement. First up we have the play-in tournament, and the Chicago Bulls have made it for the second year in a row. This time around, the Bulls are the nine seed in the East, and they will be hosting the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night in Chicago.
Heading into the season, people didn’t have high expectations for the Bulls. It didn’t end up being a great year and Chicago fans are more than fed up with mediocrity, but not a lot of people expected them to be playing postseason basketball.
Last year, the Bulls lost in their first play-in tournament game on the road against the Miami Heat. This season, they have put themselves into a little bit better of a position to advance past that first game and have a shot at the playoffs.
The Bulls finished this season with a 39-43 overall record despite dealing with bad injury trouble throughout the year. Chicago lost Zach LaVine to a season-ending injury earlier in the year, and he wasn’t the only one either. The Bulls have had horrible injury luck, but they were still able to make it to the postseason.
After starting the season 5-14, it looked like this was going to be a miserable season for the Bulls. It hasn’t been the type of year that their fans are longing for, but the ingredients were there for a much worse season. Now, they have a chance to compete in the postseason. Here are some predictions for their play-in tournament game against the Hawks.
DeMar DeRozan will score 30+ points
When the Bulls have needed someone to step up this season in clutch moments, it has been DeMar DeRozan. His ability to take over a game in the fourth quarter is something that few players possess, and he has done it numerous times this season. Wednesday’s play-in tournament game against the Hawks is obviously the biggest game of the season for the Bulls. It’s do or die, and DeRozan wants to keep this season alive. He is going to have a big game.
Coby White will make 4+ threes and score 25+ points
Another player that has had a big season for the Bulls is Coby White. He has burst onto the scene as one of the best scorers on the team, but after he turned things on, teams started guarding him differently and it has made life a little bit more difficult for him. White’s three-point shooting has been a little bit inconsistent, but expect him to have a big shooting day on Wednesday. He has spent all season preparing for this moment, and he will be ready.
The Bulls will win and advance in the play-in tournament
The Bulls and Hawks played three times in the regular season and Chicago won two out of three. They won 1/2 games played at the United Center where they will play on Wednesday, and they won the road game in Atlanta. The Bulls will make it 3/4 on Wednesday as they will beat the Hawks and advance in the play-in tournament.
Chicago and Atlanta will get started at 9:30 ET (8:30 local time) on Wednesday night from the United Center and the game will be airing on ESPN. The Bulls are favored by 3.5 points.
