Both the Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls are coming off of losses on Wednesday heading into their NBA Cup Group Play matchup on Friday night. 

Atlanta is in the driver’s seat in Group C in the East after winning each of its first two Group Play games, but can it pick up a road win against Chicago?

The Bulls are 0-1 in NBA Cup play, losing by 18 to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night last week. Zach LaVine, Coby White and company will look to bounce back against a Hawks team that isn’t exactly defending at a high level this season – ranking 20th in the NBA in defensive rating.

Here’s a breakdown of the odds, players to watch and my prediction for Friday’s NBA Cup clash. 

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

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Moneyline

Total

Hawks Injury Report

Bulls Injury Report

Atlanta Hawks

Dyson Daniels: Acquired in the Dejounte Murray trade this offseason, Daniels has played well for Atlanta, especially on the defensive end where is averaging 3.1 steals per game. Overall, Daniels is putting up 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game, but he has shot just 28.8 percent from 3. 

Chicago Bulls

Zach LaVine: On Wednesday, LaVine lit up the Milwaukee Bucks, scoring 27 points on 9-of-15 shooting (4-for-7 from 3) to go with five rebounds and six assists. On the season, LaVine is averaging 22.0 points per game and shooting an impressive 43.2 percent from 3. 

A part of me wants to take the OVER in this game since the Bulls rank No. 1 in the NBA in pace and Atlanta is right behind them at No. 2, but instead I’m eyeing a prop bet on Friday night.

LaVine hasn’t been an automatic bet when it comes to his scoring – he had just eight points against Cleveland last Friday – but he’s got just about as good of a matchup as you can find tonight.

The Hawks are a bottom 10 team in defensive rating, but they really struggle against good shooters, allowing opponents to shoot 39.4 percent from 3 this season (the worst mark in the NBA) while making a league-high 16.6 3s per game. 

Yikes.

That sets up well for LaVine, who is shooting a career-high from 3 this season and has scored 25 or more points in seven of his 13 games. I think he soars past 22.5 points in a game with a total in the 240s. 

Pick: Zach LaVine OVER 22.5 Points (-108)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey’s NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on  BetStamp here.