Final Score Picks and Predictions for Hawks vs Bulls Tonight

Can the Hawks reverse their losing streak and get a win vs the Bulls tonight at home?

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

The Atlanta Hawks may have arrived at their first inflection point this season.

The Hawks have lost three straight and seven of their last nine, falling to 15-15 this season and in 9th place in the Eastern Conference. The Hawks have cratered on defense and are resembling the teams of years past, rather than the contender they had hoped to be this season.

After giving up 152 points to the Bulls on Sunday, the Hawks are going to have a chance to redeem themselves tonight when they host Chicago again. They are going to be doing so without Dyson Daniels and Kristaps Porzingis. Daniels is, of course, the Hawks' top perimeter defender, and the Hawks had a tough enough time trying to contain Chicago and will be doing so without Daniels.

Deeper Look at the Numbers

Dec 21, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) dribbles past Chicago Bulls guard Tre Jones (30) during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

In our preview of the game, our own Rohan Raman took a deeper look at the Hawks advanced numbers through the first 30 games:

"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."

With the way the Hawks are playing defense right now, it is tough to see them winning this game against a high powered offense. No Daniels on the court is only going to make it that much tougher and until they show improvement on that end of the floor, I am picking against them.

Final Score: Bulls 134, Hawks 125