Game Recap: Bulls win high-scoring affair against Hawks |
Dustin Riese
· · 6 hours ago
ATLANTA - Basketball can be a fun game when things are going well, and the Chicago Bulls (13-15) have had a lot of fun this season. There has also been a period when fun wasn't in their DNA, as the Bulls are one of those teams stuck in neutral, with no clear direction on where to go.
Now that most of their injured players are starting to return to the lineup, the Bulls are getting healthy once again, and perhaps that is just what they needed to get back on track as they looked to continue their recent hot streak against the Atlanta Hawks (15-15) on Sunday. Behind an impressive 83-point first half, which is unheard of for the Bulls, it was another one of those classic Bulls and Hawks games that would go down to the wire. Leading by two and with less than five seconds to go, it was the Hawks who had the ball and a chance to win as they had an opportunity to crush the Bulls' hopes. With Trae Young returning to the lineup, he had the look he wanted to late in the game, only to come up short at the horn as the Bulls held off the Hawks in a high-scoring affair, 152-150. When the Bulls are at their best, they get some of the best balanced scoring across the board, which was the case in this one, as nine different players scored in double figures. That included all five starters with Matas Buzelis leading the way with 28 points on a near-perfect 10-11 from the field, including a career best 7-8 from distance. Both teams came out on fire in the first quarter as they were about as good offensively as you can be, combining for 76 points. Atlanta leaned early on Jalen Johnson attacking the rim and Onyeka Okongwu diving out of pick‑and‑roll. Johnson led all scorers with 36 points and 11 rebounds, while Okongwu chipped in 23 points, helping pace the Hawks' offense. While Buzelis had the hot hand most of the day, the Bulls leaned on several other players to keep pace with the Hawks in the first, as Coby White and Josh Giddey did their part to help the Bulls pull even after one 38-38. White continues to be the Bulls' most consistent scoring option with 21 points, while another 19-point, 12-rebound double-double from Giddey proved once again why he is now the face of this franchise. As if the first quarter wasn't a good enough offensive showing, the second quarter topped it, as the Bulls' continued downhill play opened things up for their shooters, who connected on 20 of their 42 three-point tries. 15 of those made triples came from the Bulls starting lineup as the Bulls scored 45 points in the second quarter to hold an 83-73 lead at the half. The 83 points at the half were the Bulls' highest point production for a half this season and one of the highest points for a half in franchise history. Looking to bounce back from a rather rough second quarter, the Hawks began to battle back as Johnson continued to penetrate the Bulls' defense on the inside while Okongwu was left open for several three-point makes. Zaccharie Risacher also got involved in the Hawks' three-point barrage as he connected on four of the team's 23 made threes to finish with 17 points. With Young returning from his injury, no one knew what to expect from the veteran guard, but with 35 points and nine assists, he was about as good as he could've been as he helped the Hawks pull within single digits several times in the third to pull Atlanta to within one point after three. Up one with 12 minutes to play, Chicago continued to rely on its offense to set the tone, as the already 280 combined points made this the highest-scoring game of the season. That alone was a big reason this remained a one-possession game for most of the fourth quarter, as neither team wanted to let it get away. Isaac Okoro and his 14 points played a significant role in the fourth quarter, as did Kevin Huerter (16 points), Tre Jones (11 points), Zach Collins (10 points), and Ayo Dosunmu (13 points) as the Bulls' offensive barrage continued to give the Hawks offense fits. Even at that, Vit Krejci and Nickeil Alexander‑Walker hit timely shots for Atlanta to keep the Hawks within striking distance. Krejci came up huge for the Hawks all night as he connected for 20 points off the bench to help the Hawks keep pace with the Bulls' offense. Trailing by four in the closing seconds, Johnson came through with a massive triple as the Hawks pulled within 151-150. With all the pressure back on their offense, it was Buzelis drawing a foul and getting to the line for a pair of free throws and a chance to ice the game. Buzelis managed to hit one of his two free throws to extend the lead to 152-150, but it was the Hawks with the ball back and a chance to win the game with 4.2 seconds remaining. Expecting Young to take that shot as he has done so many times in the past, Young had the look he wanted, but was unable to knock it down as the Bulls hung on for the 152-150 win. This makes three straight wins for the Bulls after dropping seven straight and eight of nine, as they seem to be getting back to their early-season form.
