The Atlanta Hawks were beating the Chicago Bulls at their own game.
Both teams rank top 3 in PACE to begin the year, as well as the top 8 in points per game. They take pride in forcing their opponents to run the floor and keeping the defense on the swivel. Conversely, they take practically zero pride in defending at a high level. And that’s why the score sat at an eye-popping 70-60 at halftime.
Unfortunately, the Chicago Bulls were on the wrong end of that high score. They allowed 37 points in the first quarter one game after allowing 45 points in the fourth quarter to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Atlanta shot 54.8 percent over the first two quarters, and they also fought their way to the free-throw line for an 18-21 performance. Their success getting the charity stripe, in particular, proved to be the difference maker from the jump. This made Chicago’s own 52.2 percent clip in the first half mean a lot less.
The good news is that Zach LaVine looked more than comfortable. He started the night 3-3 from the field and even dished a couple of strong passes. Considering it took him a tad longer than expected to return, there were some concerns about whether or not his early-season success would be stunted. Those concerns should probably be put to bed.
Indeed, while LaVine wouldn’t have his normal high-scoring night, he would finish with 18 points on 7-12 shooting from the field. He also came up clutch down the stretch, scoring back-to-back buckets to put Chicago up 112-107 with 2:54 left to go in the game.
Coby White also got in on the late-game scoring fun. He added 11 points in the final frame and assisted on another 6 points. The Bulls would go on to win the fourth quarter 35-15 one game after losing the fourth quarter 45-24 to the Timberwolves. To be sure, the defense in the second half wasn’t the best, but limited their fouling, stuck to their offensive identity, and benefitted from some questionable shot selection by the Hawks. Atlanta went just 6-23 over the final 12 minutes.
When the final buzzer sounded, the Bulls had ANOTHER comeback of at least 18 points under their belt. They also pushed eight players into double figures and dished 30 assists. While a four-game losing stream isn’t the biggest of deals in a season like this, it’s still nice to see them snap it.
Player Grades
Ayo Dosunmu – A
Stats: 19 PTS, 4 AST, 2 REB
The offensive aggressiveness we saw Ayo Dosunmu adopt in the starting lineup carried over to the bench. He shot 7-10 from the field and put the exclamation point on the game with a big slam. There is just something about playing Trae Young!
Zach LaVine – B+
Stats: 18 PTS, 7 AST, +5
All things considered, this was a very strong first game back for LaVine. He looked more than comfortable attacking the rim and did a great job moving the basketball. I would’ve liked to see a little more success from long-range (1-5), but the Bulls crawled back into this game because of his unselfishness and decision-making!
Patrick Williams – B+
Stats: 10 PTS, 7 REB, 3 AST, 2 STL, 2 BLK
I think this is Patrick Williams’ first B of the season! Perhaps it was getting scolded for not grabbing a single rebound against the Timberwolves, but this was easily the most engaged we’ve seen him all year. Williams brought consistent physicality and made impact plays defensively. His +11 was the highest of any starter!
You know what, I don’t love that he shot 3-9 from the field, but I’m still going to give him the Ankin Law: “Making it Personal” Player of the Game!
Julian Phillips – B
Stats: 10 PTS, 4 REB, 2 STL, 1 BLK
The Bulls got some strong play from Julian Phillips. His transition hustle and above-the-rim athleticism were much needed against a similarly high-paced Hawks team.
Nikola Vucevic – B
Stats: 18 PTS, 12 REB, 2 STL
Another game, another good-looking double-double from Nikola Vucevic.
Box Score
Check out the full box score here.
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