Game 3: Chicago Bulls AT Atlanta Hawks
May 6, 2011 at 7 PM EST
Opening Line: CHI -2.5
Current Line: CHI -2.5
Opening Moneyline: CHI -140, ATL +120
Current Moneyline: CHI -140, ATL +120
Opening Total: 178
Current Total: 178
Series Tied 1-1
The Bulls fought back to win game two after dropping the first at home against the Hawks. The Bulls led 48-37 at the half and went on to win by 13, 86-73. While Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford combined for only 27 points, Jeff Teague went crazy, scoring 21 points on 14 attempts from the field with 6 of 7 from the line. He also came up with three steals and did not turn the ball over the entire game. After remarking that I never saw the value in Teague, I am now seeing why Atlanta was high on the kid going into this season. He possesses a unique ability to get through traffic and still shoot high percentage shots. He gets to the line a lot for a point guard, and he plays good defense. It’s possible that in a couple years time he supplants Hinrich as the starter, or even sooner than that.
Teague’s heroics were not enough, however, and though he put up a valiant scoring effort, Derrick Rose did manage 25, though it took him 27 attempts from the field to do it. Tom Thibodeau is not completely pleased with Derrick Rose’s shot selection. He wants to see more aggression offensively. “I want to see him attack. He has to get to the line more,” coach Thibodeau said. “We have to create more space. We have to play with more pace. When we can get Derrick into the open floor, he has more scenes where he can get to the rim.”
Luol Deng once again outplayed Josh Smith, proving that my “even” diagnosis on the matchup may have been a bit off. Deng has appeared to be the more mature and composed player, while Josh Smith has forced bad shot after bad shot and he launched 2 threes in Game 2. While Smith shot a respectable 33.1% from three this year, there are better options for the Hawks offensively and over his career he is a 28.2% three point shooter. This year in the playoffs he is 3 of 18 from behind the arc, a stellar 16.7%. He’s going to have to remember he is the best athlete on the court and tailor his offensive game accordingly.
The Hawks are feeling good about their chances, especially given the job Teague has done on Derrick Rose. Jamal Crawford feels like the Hawks “(already) took their (Chicago’s) best punch.” The Hawks have been playing their “small lineup” and it may have hurt them on Thursday night. The Bulls out rebounded them 58-39 and out hustled them to every loose ball.
Atlanta coach Larry Drew spoke on the effect of the loss. “Whatever doubt might have been seeping into our guys’ heads, that doubt was erased after Game 1,” Drew said. “Even though we lost Game 2, there wasn’t a knockout blow. There was all this talk about how they would come out with all this energy and everything. Well, we didn’t feel that. … They didn’t put us away.”
Some betting trends:
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Chicago’s last 13 games and the Bulls are 14-2 SU in their last 16 games. The Bulls are 8-1 SU in their last 9 on the road and the total has gone UNDER in 4 of the Bulls’ last 5 games on the road. The total has gone OVER in 9 of the last 13 games against the Hawks and the Bulls are 4-9 SU in their last 13 games against Atlanta. The Bulls are 4-8 ATS in their last 12 against the Hawks and the total has gone OVER in 7 of Chicago’s last 9 games on the road in Atlanta. Chicago is 1-6 SU in their last 7 road games against the Hawks and the Bulls are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 road games against Atlanta.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Atlanta’s last 7 games and the Hawks are 4-2 SU in their last 6 games. The Hawks are 6-2 SU in their last 8 at home and the total has gone UNDER In all 5 of Atlanta’s last 5 home games. The total has gone OVER in 9 of Atlanta’s last 13 games against the Bulls and the Hawks are 9-4 SU in their last 13 games against the Bulls. The Hawks are 6-1 SU in their last 7 games at home against the Bulls and the total has gone OVER in 7 of Atlanta’s last 9 games at home against the Bulls.
Given the nature of the first two games, this game should represent a transition and change for both teams. Derrick Rose is going to have to get more aggressive and as I wrote last time, the Bulls need more from Carlos Boozer. They found a way to win despite Boozer managing only 8 points on 4 of 12 shooting with no free throws attempted. He did pull down 11 boards, but he needs to put up his usual 20 for the Bulls to have their best chance at victory. Atlanta’s backcourt will have to revert to the dominance they showed in game 1 for Atlanta to pull this off. Teague also must continue to attack and make Derrick Rose work on defense.
