Atlanta Hawks vs Chicago Bulls: Game Preview, Injury Report, Projected Starting Lineup for Tonight's Matchup

The Hawks need to look a little more competent on defense tonight if they want to have any chance of winning this rematch.

Dec 21, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) drives to the basket against the Chicago Bulls during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The NBA regular season schedule doesn't offer a lot of chances for immediately redeeming a tough loss. Therefore, when teams have an opportunity to play the same team in back-to-back games, it's important to take advantage and show progress by responding well to a loss. The Hawks have the opportunity to do exactly that tonight.

Losing by two points to the Bulls isn't the end of the world. However, giving up 152 points in regulation of an NBA game is just awful. It makes the two banner performances Atlanta got from Trae Young and Jalen Johnson seem a bit hollow. There aren't many situations where 35 points and nine assists from Young paired with Johnson's 36 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists aren't enough to get a win. They also got 20 points off the bench from Vit Krejci and Zaccharie Risacher went 4-7 from deep. Yet, their inability to get stops ruined one of their best offensive performances of the year.

They have an opportunity to put forth a much more balanced effort tonight and break a three-game losing streak. It all comes down to playing better defense and doing enough on offense to match Chicago's firepower.

By the Numbers

Dec 21, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) drives to the basket past Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey (3) during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Scoring 150 points will certainly juice a team's offensive metrics and the Hawks' numbers certainly look better after their strong performance against Chicago's defense. They are 11th in points, 7th in FG%, 8th in 3P%, 14th in FT%, 26th in rebounds (26th in OREB, 22nd in DREB), 1st in assists, and 19th in turnovers per game. They're 12th in offensive rating this year.

Conversely, Atlanta's defense wasn't very impressive before the Bulls game and it's even worse after. On a per-game basis, the Hawks' defense rank 24th in points allowed, 21st in FG% allowed, 18th in 3P% allowed, 23rd in rebounds allowed, 5th in steals, and 12th in blocks. They're 18th in defensive rating on the year, which is an indictment of how poorly they've recently played on that end in comparison to where their ceiling is.

Chicago's offense can clearly put up tons of points and they also took a jump in several key offensive numbers. They're 8th in points, 12th in FG%, 9th in 3P%, 18th in FT%, 10th in rebounds (22ns in OREB, 3rd in DREB), 5th in assists, and 15th in turnovers per game. They're 16th in offensive rating this season.

Fortunately, their defense might be worse than Atlanta's despite the win. They are 28th in points allowed, 23rd in FG% allowed, 22nd in 3P% allowed, 24th in rebounds allowed, 18th in steals, and 17th in blocks. They're 24th in defensive rating this year.

Three Reasons Atlanta Can Win This Game

Dec 19, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Asa Newell (14) shoots against the San Antonio Spurs in the third quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Asa Newell has done a great job of stepping up when the Hawks need him, but it's fair to say that he didn't have a great game against the Bulls. Newell played only five minutes and scored zero points with one rebound and one block. He should be in for a bigger role tonight. Mo Gueye is questionable with a right sprained shoulder and N'Faly Dante likely won't be available to help with backup center duties. Newell has stepped up in key moments before, so it'll be interesting to see if he can swing the game for Atlanta.

The combination of Jalen Johnson and Trae Young was very effective for the Hawks last night despite the loss. It's especially encouraging to see that Young was able to perform despite the Bulls being a team that often gives him trouble. However, getting 71 points and eighteen assists from this combination is a strong argument in support of the idea that both of these players can maximize each other. The Bulls should continue to have trouble slowing them down.

Atlanta's defense need to be better, but the one part of this unit that has remained strong is their TOV%. They're 7th in the league right now with a TOV% of 15.7%. Considering that the Bulls are 13th in offensive TOV%, this should be a game where Atlanta can get turnovers and punish the Bulls in transition. Doing that without Dyson Daniels is a big challenge, but the Hawks should still have Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Zaccharie Risacher to get into passing/driving lanes.

Three Reasons Atlanta Might Lose This Game

Dec 21, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic (9) dunks over Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) during the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Three-point regression is a factor that both sides need to consider as 9 of the 10 starters on both teams made at least one three-pointer. For Atlanta, it's worth noting that Young was 7-9 from deep in their last game. That's not a very repeatable number and it becomes even more unsustainable when considering that he's still working back from injury, They cannot rely on him getting hot from deep again.

Atlanta's center rotation is a bit shorthanded tonight if Mo Gueye is unable to suit up. That takes away one less body to throw at Nikola Vucevic and Jalen Smith. Vucevic's three-point shooting and size always makes him someone to watch, but Smith has quietly had a very nice season for the Bulls. Chicago's offense is nearly 8 points per possession better with him on the floor, which is in the 90th percentile of all bigs. He wasn't very effective in the first game, but he might be better against a Hawks team that isn't running at full capacity in the frontcourt.

The absence of Dyson Daniels is also going to be a double-edged sword for the Hawks and they need to be careful not to let it cut them. On one hand, Daniels has been a big problem for their offense as he's regressed horribly from the promising shooting numbers he showed last year. That being said, he's still one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA and puts even more pressure on an already challenged defense. It'll be interesting to see what type of effect his absence has on their defense.

Injury Report

Atlanta Hawks: Kristaps Porzingis and Dyson Daniels are out while Mo Gueye is questionable.

Chicago Bulls: Noa Essengue is out.

How to Watch

Here is how you can watch tonight's game:

Tip-off time: 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time

Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA

Where to Watch: FanDuel Sports Network and NBATV

Projected Starting Lineups

Hawks

G - Trae Young

G - Dyson Daniels

F - Zaccharie Risacher

F - Jalen Johnson

C - Onyeka Okongwu

Bulls

G - Josh Giddey

G - Coby White

F - Isaac Okoro

F - Matas Buzelis

C - Nikola Vucevic