Preview: Hawks host Bulls in front end of back-to-back

The Atlanta Hawks will return to their home floor for Thursday’s game vs. the Chicago Bulls after blowing a 14-point lead in Tuesday’s loss to the Boston Celtics. The game vs. Chicago will be the first game of a back-to-back for Atlanta, who will travel north for a matchup on the road vs. the Washington Wizards on Friday night.

Tuesday was a bit of an ugly loss for the Hawks, as they built their early lead after Jaylen Brown left the court injured just three minutes into play. The Celtics proceeded to storm back, leading by as many as 17 in the comeback win.

Chicago comes into play on Thursday with the second-best record in the Eastern Conference, while the Hawks need to start stacking wins just to guarantee they’ll crack the play-in. The Bulls are on a two-game losing streak heading into this matchup.

Injuries

For Atlanta, the big one here is obviously Trae Young, who was questionable for this one with a left ankle sprain before being ruled available later in the day Thursday. John Collins (right foot strain) is out for Thursday’s game, while Lou Williams (left hip) is available along with Young.

Onyeka Okongwu (concussion protocol) is out on Thursday after exiting Tuesday’s loss in Boston early to be examined for a concussion.

Lonzo Ball (knee), Patrick Williams (ligament tear) and Alex Caruso (wrist) will continue to be out for the Bulls on Thursday.

Odds

The Hawks were 4.5-point underdogs vs. the Bulls as of early Thursday morning, but closed as slight favorites, for those that may be interested.

Game Info

Game Date & Time: Mar. 3, 7 pm ET

Location: State Farm Arena

TV: BSSE

Streaming: Bally Sports App

Radio: 92.9 The Game

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