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NBA Betting: Atlanta Hawks Season Long Handicapping 12/23/2025 vs. Chicago Bulls

by Spencer Toth - 12/23/2025

NBA betting Atlanta Hawks season long handicapping vs Chicago Bulls Nikola Vucevic

You have found the right place for all your Atlanta Hawks betting needs this season. Doc’s Sports will be breaking down every weekday Hawks game, providing free best bets along the way. 

On Friday night, the Atlanta Hawks lost to the San Antonio Spurs by a score of 126-98. Trae Young didn’t suit up on the second night of the back-to-back, while Kristaps Porzingis remained out with an illness. The Hawks' offense went ice cold, with a 10/40 clip from deep and Nickeil Alexander-Walker leading the way with just 23 points but a team-low -27 point differential. The Atlanta fans got to see Victor Wembanyama in action, as the towering Frenchman scored 26 points with 12 rebounds in 21 minutes of action off the bench.

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From a betting perspective, we had a great day, going 2-1. Our biggest play of the night was Luke Kornet to go over 13.5 Points+Rebounds, and he finished with 17. We correctly identified the Hawks' lack of size on the inside, and Kornet was able to feast with Wembanyama still on a minutes restriction. We also picked the San Antonio Spurs to cover the -2.5 point spread, which they did with ease. Our lone loss was on Wembanyama to have under 1.5 threes, but he went 2/4 from deep to stop the sweep. 

On Sunday night, the Hawks lost their third in a row in a remarkable 152-150 defeat against the Bulls… in regulation. It is not as if either team got especially hot from the floor, shooting 58% and 52% from the field, with a 49% and 48% clip from deep. The pace of play was truly remarkable, and both teams had 32-plus free throw attempts to stop the clock. Jalen Johnson and Trae Young led the way for Atlanta with 36 and 35 points each, while the Bulls reached the sky-high total thanks to nine different players with double-digit point totals. While it was refreshing to see Atlanta’s offense come to life, they are quickly sliding down the standings since Young has returned to the court. 

Tonight, the Hawks (15-15) get an immediate chance at revenge as they host the Chicago Bulls (13-15) in the second of their two-game mini-series. Chicago started the season 5-0; they then proceeded to go 5-15 in their next 20 games, but have now strung three straight wins together to get back on track. Their balanced offense has allowed them to beat up on bad teams, but their lack of a superstar to take over the game prevents them from taking the next step. Given how the Hawks have looked on defense, they no longer fall into the elite category out East, and look destined for another appearance in the play-in tournament. Atlanta has the two best players on the court in Johnson and Young, but if they can’t get stops, the Bulls' depth will shine again at the Hawks’ expense. 

The sample size is small, but it might be time to talk about Trae Young’s future with this organization. The Hawks are 2-5 with Young in the lineup compared to 13-10 when he sits. His early-season injury allowed the team to gel, and his high-usage play style has disrupted the Hawks' momentum. It certainly doesn’t help that Young refuses to play a lick of defense, as Chicago went straight after him on Sunday, and will almost certainly do so again tonight. A player of Young’s caliber gets a longer leash than two games after a serious knee injury, so it’s not yet time to sound the alarm bells in Atlanta. His vision on the court opens up the game for his teammates, his ability to take over games in the fourth quarter is remarkable, and he has yet to play with an All-Star teammate in his career. While that last fact will likely change thanks to the inspired play from Jalen Johnson this year, it is even more pertinent that the Hawks start piling up wins with a strong roster. 

It is hard to call any game a must-win at this stage of the season, but tonight’s game against the Bulls is a massive one for the Hawks. Young still hasn’t tasted victory in months, and Chicago is a team the Hawks should be beating at home. It doesn’t help that Kristaps Porzingis is still out, and now Mouhamed Gueye is on the injury report, but there are still no excuses for the Hawks' poor play. They aren’t generating the same defensive pressure they were earlier this season, and their inability to collapse into the paint has cost them easy buckets. Chicago has the size needed to exploit the Hawks down low, and it will take a serious team effort to slow them down with Atlanta’s big men on the bench. 

For the first bet of the night, we will be taking Under 253.5 points. These two teams combined for a season-high 302 points two nights ago, but that doesn’t mean they should have the highest closing total of the season tonight. Both coaches will be furious with the lack of defense, and I am expecting a much slower, calculated approach from both sides. While it was an offensive explosion for both teams that night, these are still offenses outside of the top-ten this season, and they are due for a bit of regression in this one. It is the perfect opportunity to take advantage of a sky-high total, as even another fast-paced game is unlikely to see 254+ points. 

We won’t be picking a side in this volatile matchup, but we will be targeting a player prop for the top play of the night. Nikola Vucevic has scored one three-pointer in 5 of his last 10 games and two threes in the other five games. His line is understandably at 1.5 threes, evenly juiced on both sides for tonight, but he will not reach that total. The Hawks' lack of interior defense will allow Vucevic to hang out in the paint, and I don’t expect him to drift behind the arc very often. The easy two-point shots on the inside will keep him satisfied, making his under a solid pick for tonight’s matchup. 

Pick: Hawks vs Bulls Under 253.5 -110 2 Units

Pick: Nikola Vucevic Under 1.5 Three Point Shots -110 3 Units

2025-26 Season Record:
Moneyline: 5-4

Spread: 13-10

Total: 0-6

Player Props: 19-8

Overall: 37-28

Total Units: Up 21.4 Units

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