NBA 2016-2017 Season: Chicago Bulls vs Atlanta Hawks, Live Stream, Preview & Prediction

By Raymund Tamayo / Jan 20, 2017 04:37 AM EST
(Photo : Getty Images) The Bulls visit the Hawks at the Philips Arena on Friday.

The Atlanta Hawks (24-18) will host the Chicago Bulls (21-22) at the Philips Arena on Friday, Jan. 20 in a 2016-2017 NBA regular season encounter.

Start Time and Streaming Info

The game starts at 8:00 p.m. ET. It can be viewed live online thru the NBA League Pass.

Preview

Chicago has been on a downward spiral lately with four losses in their last six games. The team is settled in the eighth spot of the Eastern Conference table at the moment, only a half-game behind seventh-seeded team Charlotte Hornets.

The Bulls are coming off a heartbreaking 99-98 loss to lowly squad Dallas Mavericks last Tuesday at their home court of United Center to snap a two-game winning run, as per the Chicago Tribune.

Jimmy Butler had a bad shooting night but still managed to finish with 24 points on 5-for-12 field goal shooting and a 14-for-16 stint from the charity stripe. He had 12 assists and nine rebounds, though, for an almost triple-double performance despite the loss.

Robin Lopez was the second-leading scorer with 21 points as he shot 10-for-15 from the field. Lopez also had five boards and one blocked shot. Dwyane Wade contributed 17 points, five rebounds, and two assists as he had a poor shooting night as well, going 8-for-21 throughout the game.

Starting point guard Michael Carter-Williams chipped in 10 points, five rebounds, and two steals as the fourth starter to finish in double figures for the Bulls.

Meanwhile, the Hawks are also reeling with two losses in their last four outings. The team is still in the fourth spot in the East, two games behind third-place team Boston Celtics and only one game ahead of fifth-running team Washington Wizards.

Atlanta also snapped a two-game winning streak after getting routed by the Detroit Pistons, 118-95, on the road at The Palace of Auburn Hills on Wednesday night, CBS 46 Atlanta reported.

The Hawks had a poor start and finished the first quarter trailing by 24 points, 18-42. They were never in the game as the Pistons came prepared "in every phase of the game", Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer commented after the game.

Paul Millsap had 21 points, eight rebounds, and four assists while Dennis Schroder had 13 points and six assists.

Prediction 

The Bulls are 8-13 in away games so far this season while the Hawks are a decent 11-8 at home. It would a tough call as both squads are inconsistent at the moment. However, Chicago is a slight favorite to pull off a road win.