Atlanta Hawks at Chicago Bulls
Friday, November 13, 2026
8:00 PM ET, United Center
Atlanta is a 7.5-point favorite at most books (a few are at 6.5), with the total at 245.5. My play is Hawks -7.5.
“That was our game to win. I feel like I lost that game for us.” That was Matas Buzelis on Wednesday, after the Bulls blew a 22-point halftime lead to the Spurs and lost 124-119. Chicago is 1-9, still winless at the United Center, and now has to pick itself up against a rested Atlanta team that does exactly what just broke them: it takes the ball away.
Chicago keeps handing the ball over, and Atlanta feeds on that
The Bulls had 19 turnovers against San Antonio, 12 in the second half, and gave up 22 points off of them, per the Chicago Tribune. Buzelis alone had six. That wasn’t a one-off. Basketball Reference has Chicago dead last in net rating at minus-15.1 points per 100 possessions and dead last in defensive rating, giving up 124.9 per 100.
Atlanta forces turnovers on 15.8% of opponent possessions, third-best in the league, and averages just over 10 steals a game. Quin Snyder’s team is also third in pace, and the Bulls play faster than anyone. That’s a lot of possessions for the better, cleaner team, and more possessions usually mean a wider gap.
The Hawks have had three days off since Monday’s loss to the Lakers. Chicago played Wednesday. Atlanta is 4-2 on the road. Nickeil Alexander-Walker leads them at 21.9 points per game, and Jalen Johnson is filling up everything else with 8.6 rebounds and 7.2 assists.
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The Bulls’ injury list makes it worse
Rookie Caleb Wilson hurt his hand early in the third quarter Wednesday and is out for a long stretch. ESPN doesn’t list him returning until mid-December. Norman Powell, Chicago’s leading scorer at 19.2 points a game, has missed two straight and is listed day-to-day. Without those two, the offense falls on Josh Giddey and Buzelis, and the Spurs showed how that ends when you trap Buzelis.
Atlanta has injuries of its own. Mouhamed Gueye, Asa Newell, Keshon Gilbert and Henri Veesaar are out. Kingston Flemings is questionable with lumbar spasms. If he sits, SI’s Hawks site expects CJ McCollum to move back into the starting five, which still leaves a veteran scorer on the floor.
Even with small-sample caveats, the gap between these teams is about 17 points per 100 possessions. Knock off a few points for Chicago’s home floor, and seven and a half still looks short.
What could go wrong
Atlanta’s defense is ordinary. Opponents are shooting well against them, and the Bulls just made 10 threes in a half against a better defense than this one. Jalen Smith went 5 for 5 from deep on Wednesday. If Chicago gets hot early and Powell returns, this could stay close into the fourth. The public is on Atlanta too: Action Network shows about three of every four tickets on the Hawks. And a few books are already at 6.5, so grab that if you can.
But Chicago has to play 48 minutes to win, and it hasn’t done that at home yet.
Projected score: Hawks 128, Bulls 115
The Pick: Hawks -7.5
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