Bulls guard/forward Zach LaVine had been questionable before today’s game against the Atlanta Hawks and shortly before tonight’s game, the Bulls revealed his player status for tonight’s game. LaVine will be able to play tonight against the Hawks.

This will be a game between two of the worst defenses in the NBA and the score could be very high. This is the first meeting of the year between the two teams.

Heading into tonight’s game, Atlanta is 8th in PPG, 16th in field goal percentage, 16th in three-point attempts, 17th in three-point percentage, 5th in free throw attempts, 19th in rebounds and 22nd in turnovers. By Clean the glassAtlanta is 10th in points per 100 possessions, 9th in field goal percentage, 21st in turnover percentage, 13th in offensive rebound rate and 7th in free throw rate.

Defensively, it’s not pretty for the Hawks. They are 28th in PPG allowed, 19th in FG% allowed, 30th in three-point attempts allowed, and 30th in three-point percentage allowed. According to Cleaning the Glass, Atlanta is 24th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 28th in effective field goal percentage allowed. Atlanta’s defense will be challenged tonight by Chicago. The Bulls shoot threes at a high rate and have guys who can put up big numbers, especially if LaVine plays.

The Bulls offense as a whole, however, is just average. They are 14th in PPG, 21st in field goal percentage, 3rd in 3PA, 9th in 3P%, 19th in free throw percentage, 5th in rebounding and 24th in turnovers. According to Cleaning the Glass, Chicago is 25th in points per 100 possessions, 19th in field goal percentage, 20th in turnover percentage, 27th in offensive rebound percentage and 26th in free throw rate.

The Bulls’ defensive numbers aren’t much better than Atlanta’s. Chicago is 27th in PPG allowed, 26th in field goal percentage allowed, 24th in three-point attempts allowed, and 4th in three-point percentage allowed. According to Cleaning the Glass, the Bulls are 18th in points allowed per 100 possessions and 20th in effective field goals allowed percentage.

Trae Young had one of his best games of the season last night and could have another big game tonight. Young had 35 points on 11-25 shooting and 13 assists. He was 6-12 years old in three. The Pistons have a much better defense than Chicago and Young could have a blast against them.

Dyson Daniels had one of the most impressive games an NBA player has had this year. He totaled seven steals and totaled 18 points. He was a threat defensively and will be tasked with guarding LaVine if he plays. If he doesn’t, look for Daniels to guard Coby White.

After a career evening on Wednesday, the match was more difficult for Zaccharie Risacher on Friday. He scored seven points on 2-7 shooting and had a rough night on both ends of the court. There are going to be ups and downs with him this year and last night was a low.

Jalen Johnson took a little while to get going last night, but finished with 20 points and nine rebounds. He only got one assist last night, which is not regular for him.

The center position has to be better for the Hawks in this game. Clint Capela pulled down 12 rebounds last night against Detroit, but was 3-10 from the field. Onyeka Okongwu also had a rough night, leading to Quin Snyder giving Larry Nance minutes. Nance had a good night offensively, but the defense when he was on the floor was tough. Okongwu has rested back-to-back this year and it could just be Capela and Nance at center tonight.

The Hawks bench was dominated last night in Detroit. Garrison Matthews, David Roddy and Keaton Wallace couldn’t find a way to get going, even though Wallace only played seven minutes. They will have to be able to have more impact tonight.