Bulls favored on NBA odds over Hawks

The Chicago Bulls can finish off the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday night and advance to their first Eastern Conference Finals since 1998.

The Bulls put the Hawks on the brink of elimination with a 95-83 win in Game 5 as an 8.5-point favorite. Derrick Rose steadied his shot after an inconsistent Game 4 and led the Bulls with 33 points and nine assists. Luol Deng added 23 points in that win, and Taj Gibson had a strong game off the bench with 11 points that including going 5-for-5 from the field.

While Rose continued to come up big for the Bulls, the Hawks needed more from their big names in Game 5. Jeff Teague led the Hawks with 21 points and seven assists, and Josh Smith had 16 points. Joe Johnson only had 15 points, and Jamal Crawford was near invisible with two points on 1-of-9 shooting.

The Hawks may be at home for Game 5 but they're still the underdog at Bodog, where the Bulls are listed as a 3.5-point favorite. That's been the norm for the Hawks, who have been the underdog at home throughout the postseason and have posted a 4-1 record ATS there. Atlanta is also 4-1 SU at home in the playoffs so far, but that one loss came against the Bulls in Game 3 as a 2.5-point underdog.

Whoever wins the series between the Hawks and Bulls will move on to face the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. Miami dealt the knockout blow to the Celtics on Wednesday night with a 97-87 victory as a 7.5-point home favorite in Game 5. Dwyane Wade scored 34 points in the clincher and LeBron James added 33 points, which included Miami's last 10 points. Chris Bosh chipped in with a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Miami should be cheering for the Hawks tonight and in the rest of the series based on the regular season. The Heat were 3-1 SU and ATS versus the Hawks this season, and in their last seven games against Atlanta Miami is a solid 6-1 SU and ATS.

The Bulls had the Heat's number this season. In three matchups against Miami the Bulls were undefeated at 3-0 SU and they were also 3-0 ATS. Chicago would have home-court advantage against Miami, and they have owned the Heat at the United Center. In their last 11 home games versus the Heat the Bulls are 9-2 SU and 8-3 ATS.