The Atlanta Hawks are still not getting no respect from the Las Vegas sportsbooks.
Oddsmakers have installed the Hawks as 3 point underdogs for their Game 3 matchup against the Chicago Bulls on Friday night at Philips Arena. However, the public has shaved a 1/2 point off of the Bulls' edge. In most places, you will be able to get the Hawks at +2.5 right now. The over/under in the game is 178 points.
The Hawks' underdog role should not come as a surprise for anyone who has looked at this kind of thing carefully in the playoffs. Atlanta has played nine games so far in the postseason and have not been favored by Vegas in a single, solitary game.
Nevertheless, if you had faith in the Hawks, you have a ton of cash in your pocket to show for it. Atlanta is 6-2 against the spread in the postseason and 5-3 straight up. Their only two ATS losses came in grand Hawks style, a 25-point setback in Game 5 against the Orlando Magic and a 13-point setback in Game 2 of the Hawks-Bulls series.
If you bet the Hawks on the money line, they will fetch you $120 for every $100 you wager if they win. Every $140 bet on Chicago will return $100 if the favored Bulls pull off the W.
For more on the series, visit SB Nation's NBA hub, Peachtree Hoops, Blog-a-Bull, and SB Nation Chicago.