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Chicago Bulls vs Atlanta Hawks Preview: Odds, Tips and Prediction

Date: Sunday 21st December 2025 Start time: 3:30 pm local time (8:30 pm BST) Venue: State Farm Arena, Atlanta Last regular season meeting: October 27, 2025, Chicago Bulls 128-123 Atlanta Hawks For the second time in 2025, the Chicago Bulls and the Atlanta Hawks face off for another exciting NBA encounter.

Henry Cheal
Henry Cheal

Last updated: 2025-12-16

Chad Nagel

5 minutes read

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Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks celebrates the win with teammate Jalen Johnson

Trae Young celebrates the win with teammate Jalen Johnson//Getty Images

For the second time in 2025, the Chicago Bulls and the Atlanta Hawks face off for another exciting NBA encounter. This matchup sees a tightly contested Eastern Conference game between the ninth and 11th seeds. Which team will come out on top as both try to seal a playoff position? 

This exclusive and detailed preview is brought to you by SportsBoom, the best place for all things NBA. We’ve also curated a complete list of top-rated NBA betting sites, giving new bettors access to valuable welcome offers that enhance their chances of securing bigger payouts.

Pre-Game Odds and Win Probability

  1. Chicago Bulls: 10/11 (1.91) – 52.4%

  2. Atlanta Hawks: 10/11 (1.91) – 52.4%

  3. Forecast odds – Betting available on bet365 closer to event

Head-to-Head Record

The Eastern Conference has staged 264 regular-season games between the Chicago Bulls and the Atlanta Hawks. Both organizations have a deep-rooted rivalry across multiple eras, with games spanning almost 60 years. 

Overall, it’s a tightly contested matchup as the Bulls have won 142 games, compared to the Hawks’ 122. It’s always hard to gauge which team could win this upcoming fixture, as neither team has had a long, consistent winning streak. 

Last Five Matches

SeasonDateResult
2025/26 SeasonOctober 27, 2025Chicago Bulls 128-123 Atlanta Hawks
2024/25 SeasonJanuary 15, 2025Atlanta Hawks 110-94 Chicago Bulls
2024/25 SeasonDecember 26, 2024Atlanta Hawks 141-133 Chicago Bulls
2024/25 SeasonNovember 22, 2024Chicago Bulls 136-122 Atlanta Hawks 
2024/25 SeasonNovember 9, 2024Chicago Bulls 125-113 Atlanta Hawks 
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Chicago Bulls Current Form

  • Record: 10-14
  • Home Form: 6-5
  • Road Form: 4-9

The Chicago Bulls have a less-than-favourable recent record, winning only two of their last ten games at the time of writing. But they are still within firm contention of making the playoffs due to how close-knit the Eastern Conference is. However, the Bulls are the lowest-ranked seed to have a positive home record, showing that this could be a crucial factor later on as the year progresses.

Their best player in scoring and rebounds is Australian star Josh Giddey, who is close to averaging a triple-double for the season. He’s stats of 20.5 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 9 assists are all personal bests by far in his career, which are impressive numbers, but the Bulls find themselves in mid-table mediocrity for another season unless they make an impactful trade.  

Playing in all but one game this season thus far is 35-year-old veteran Nikola Vucevic, who always plays a crucial part within the starting five. This season, he’s averaging a disappointing 15.7 points per game, but he remains one of the best rebounders in the league with an average of 9.2 for all 23 games he’s competed in. Vucevic is the backbone of the Bulls’ defense. 

Injury Report

  • Ayo Dosunmu – Out (thumb)
  • Noa Essengue – Out (left shoulder) 

Atlanta Hawks Current Form

  • Record: 14-12
  • Home Form: 4-6
  • Road Form: 10-6

The Atlanta Hawks are currently in the tail end of the playoff seedings but are only 1.5 games behind the third seed in the East. The Conference itself has many talented rosters, none more so than the Hawks away from home, as they have one of the best away records in the league. A purple patch in form could catapult their chances of making the playoffs this season. 

Last season, Jalen Johnson had an injury-ridden campaign and only played 36 games, but he has stayed healthy throughout this campaign and performed the best numbers of his career. The 23-year-old is averaging 23.2 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 8 assists per game, placing him sixth in the NBA in both rebounds and assists. His improvements have extended further to shooting, too, adding a new dimension to his game, and he is averaging a career-best 23.2 points per game. 

He's only featured in five games this season, a surprise given his athleticism, and is their best player in the locker room. Trae Young has produced solid numbers this year, averaging 17.8 points and 7.8 assists. These numbers are far from his best, but when he comes back from his knee injury, the Hawks’ competitiveness will increase dramatically. 

Injury Report

  • Jacob Toppin – Out (season-ending shoulder injury)
  • Trae Young – Out (knee) 
  • N’Faly Dante – Out (concussion)
  • Kristas Porzingis – Out (illness)
  • Eli John N’Diaye – Day-to-day (coach’s decision) 

Predicted Line-Ups

Our projected starting five from both rosters ahead of this matchup. 

Chicago Bulls

  • Guard – Josh Giddey
  • Guard – Coby White 
  • Center – Nikola Vucevic
  • Forward – Matas Buszelis 
  • Forward – Isaac Okoro 

Atlanta Hawks

  • Guard – Nickeil Alexander-Walker
  • Guard – Dyson Daniels
  • Center – Oneyeka Okongwu
  • Forward – Jalen Johnson
  • Forward – Zaccharie Risacher 

Value Bets

The following value bets offer strong upside based on recent form and matchup trends. Bettors can find competitive odds for these player props by checking leading betting sites in the USA.

  1. Josh Giddey: Over 15 Points and Over 5 Rebounds and Over 5 Assists 

    Strangely enough, Josh Giddey isn’t normally as sharp as his usual self against the Atlanta Hawks. Across his nine matches against the Hawks, he’s previously averaged 13.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 5.4 assists. These numbers don’t reflect his output this season as he’s largely improved, but we predict he will post over 15 points, over 5 rebounds, and over 5 assists for this matchup. 

  2. Jalen Johnson: Over 20 points 

    Jalen Johnson’s shooting has improved to new levels this season, but against the Chicago Bulls, he always brings his best game. Across his last four games, he’s posted at least 20 points per game, so we expect this to occur for a fifth time in a row. He is producing at a high level, so this feels like a safe bet. 

Prediction: Atlanta Hawks to Win

In conclusion, we predict that the Atlanta Hawks will prevail. The close head-to-head record between the teams makes this hard to choose, but the Hawks have had the better season. Despite losing to the Chicago Bulls earlier in the year, the Hawks are in a better run of form, making this a close fixture to predict. 

Henry Cheal
Henry ChealSports Betting Writer

Henry Cheal is a versatile freelance sports journalist with extensive experience in the industry. Henry has previously worked at the 2024 World Snooker Championship and earned a Multimedia Sports Journalism degree from UCFB in 2023.

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