Bulls vs. Hawks Game 6 Line
The Bulls vs. Hawks Game 6 line was set at Chicago -3.5 with a total of 178.5 at Sportsbook.com.
Derrick Rose and the Bulls try to finish off Atlanta on Thursday and move on to the Conference Finals for a date with Miami. But despite winning three games in the series by an average of 14.0 PPG, Chicago’s last game in Atlanta (Game 4) ended in a 100-88 defeat. Rose has averaged 32.0 PPG and 9.4 APG in the series versus the Hawks.
Rose has been a scoring machine all series, but he has also put up 27.4 FG attempts per game to get his points. He has shot the ball better in his past three games (37.0 PPG on 47% FG) after a 39% clip in Games 1 and 2. Rose, who had eight turnovers in Game 2, has also taken much better care of the ball in his past three contests with seven total turnovers, while dishing out 27 assists. Carlos Boozer has also played well recently despite his turf toe injury, with 14.5 PPG on 52.4% FG in the past two games, which is a big jump from his 9.3 PPG on 44.8% FG in Games 1-3. Luol Deng has averaged 15.6 PPG in the series, but did not play well in the two contests in Atlanta (10.0 PPG, 8-24 FG). Joakim Noah has had a great rebounding series (11.0 RPG), but he was held scoreless in Game 5 and has just eight total points on 3-of-14 shooting in the past three contests.
If Atlanta is to send this series back to Chicago for a decisive Game 7, Jamal Crawford has to step up in a big way. Crawford scored just two points on 1-of-9 shooting in the Game 5 loss, and is averaging 6.7 PPG on 23% FG in the three defeats. He has been a key factor in the pair of wins however, with 17.0 PPG on 48% FG. Joe Johnson also has some wide splits in wins and losses, with 29.0 PPG on 66% in two victories and just 13.7 PPG on 41% FG in three defeats. Jeff Teague, who replaced the injured Kirk Hinrich in the starting lineup, has been the team’s most consistent (and valuable) player this series with 17.0 PPG (56% FG), 22 assists and just five turnovers. He scored 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting with seven assists and no turnovers in Game 5. Josh Smith has been his typical inconsistent self throughout the series, shooting just 37% from the field. He had 23 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists in the Game 4 win, but only had 16 points, seven rebounds and one assist in Tuesday’s defeat. Al Horford has also seen his production drop considerably since the postseason began. He averaged 15.3 PPG on 56% FG in the regular season, but just 11.7 PPG on 44% FG in 11 playoff games.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
