Chicago Bulls at Atlanta Hawks
Wednesday, 3/2/11, 7:00 PM EDT

Chicago is coming off an impressive 105-77 victory Monday night over Washington and seemingly has its sights set on the Eastern Conference’s top seed.  “We learned our lesson in Toronto after the break,” said forward Carlos Boozer.  “We had that five-day All-Star break and we came back and lost a game at Toronto, a team that on paper, we should have beat.”  The Bulls recent surge can also be linked to the return of starting center Joakim Noah, who has grabbed 28 rebounds in the past two games.  “He’s back, almost to the point he was at before the injury,” said coach Tom Thibodeau.  “His activity is off the charts.”  The Bulls can surpass last year’s win total with a victory in tonight’s contest and currently have a 41-17 overall mark, including a 15-13 record on the road.  Chicago is 35-22 ATS on the season and the NBA lines page is a must see before wagering.

The Bulls have dropped their last five games in Atlanta and are 44-58 all-time on the road against them.  Last year against Atlanta, point guard Derrick Rose averaged 23.5 points and 5.5 assists in 36.8 minutes of action.  With the team’s 15-13 road record, Chicago is currently one of nine teams in the NBA with a winning record off of its home floor.  It’s also important to note that its current start is its best since the 1997-98 Bulls began the year 42-16.

Atlanta is set to host Chicago for the first time this year and tonight marks the first of three games against them overall.  The Hawks will visit the Windy City on March 11 before the Bulls return to Philips Arena on March 22 to close out the season series.  The team may have a difficult time in continuing its success against Wednesday’s opponent due to averaging just 89.4 points over their last nine games and losing four of seven on its recent road trip.  Atlanta is coming in off a dismal 100-90 defeat at the hands of Denver, ending a 15-day trip that crossed over from the All-Star break.  The squad is 27-33 ATS on the season.

The Hawks could be without one of their stars in this contest, as Josh Smith suffered a knee injury Monday night.  He was averaging 22.0 points in his previous three games, but his status remains in question.  All-Star guard Joe Johnson will be looked upon to pick up the slack due to scoring 23.5 points in his last six meetings with Chicago, including two 40-point efforts.

Bettors will look to back the Hawks due to their 6-1 ATS mark in the last seven meetings, while the Bulls are 1-4 ATS in Atlanta.