Shooting Forward DeMar DeRozan , shooting Guard Ayo Dosunmu, and Center Nikola Vucevic were the main men to put points on the board as the Bulls found a way and were victorious over the Hawks. They racked up 29 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists & 29 points, 2 rebounds, 7 assists and 24 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 assists, respectively.
This was a confidence boost for the Bulls after a loss that followed three consecutive OT wins. The Bulls (26-28) found a way and beat the Atlanta Hawks (24-30) with a final score of 136-126 away from home at State Farm Center. The Chicago Bulls came into this game after a loss against Magic in OT 114-108 after a good string of results. The Hawks came into this match-up with newfound confidence and good form, as they had two consecutive wins against the Celtics and 76ers with scores of 125-117 and 127-121, respectively.
The last time these teams faced each other was two months ago this season on December 26th at home, where the Bulls were victorious after the final buzzer to the Hawks 118-113 in a close encounter. The main performer in that matchup was DeRozan, with 25 points, 2 rebounds, and 6 assists. The Chicago Bulls hoped for a similar result this time around and walked off the court once again with a win on their record.
First half was tight, Bulls were down by two at Halftime
The first half was a hard-fought affair and proved to be a back-and-forth affair. The Bulls ended the first quarter down by seven points, 33-26, with DeRozan, Vucevic, and Shooting Forward Torrey Craig leading the team, with all having 5 points, but DeRozan and Vucevic had 2 rebounds and 1 assist, while Craig had 1 rebound and 3 assists. While the Hawks Shooting Forward Saddiq Bey was the main man on the court during that quarter, with 6 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assist. The second quarter then seemed to be an even tighter affair, but the Bulls ended up on top, coming back as the quarter ended 26-26, but the Bulls led at halftime 60-59. For the Bulls, Dosunmu seemed to be the focal point, as he put in 13 points to help give the Bulls the lead at halftime.
Bulls with a comeback first keeping then increasing the lead ultimately beating The Hawks at the end
The second half proved to be something unheard of for the Bulls, as they were able to hold the lead and, not only that, continued to put the ball in the basket and increase their lead, which ultimately led to beating the Hawks in the end. The third quarter gave another reassurance of the offensive prowess and determination the Bulls were showing to keep the lead. They led at the end of the quarter 97-92, with Vucevic providing the offense that quarter with 11 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 assist.
For the Hawks, it was Point Guard Trae Young putting the baskets away and trying to give his team a lifeline before the final quarter as he put in 11 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists. The fourth quarter then proved to be a reminder of what would be the eventual result, given that this game provided the spotlight for many Bulls players. The quarter ended with a Magic win of 21-15, but it wasn’t enough as the game ended with a Bulls win of 114-108, and this time it was Point Guard Coby White in the limelight with 10 points and 1 assist helping aid the team to the win.
Star of the Game
The “Star of the Game” was not singular but plural, two “Stars of the Game,” the Chicago Bulls very own DeRozan and Dosunmu. The products from the USC Trojans and the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign finished the game off with equal dominance, both providing a whopping 29 points combined with various assists and rebounds. Their performances were undoubtedly astounding to witness and influential as the Bulls took the win, and Chicago once again smiled as the team walked off the court victorious.
What’s Next?
The Bulls will want to get a good run going on the back of this win as they face the Cleveland Cavaliers away from home at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse tomorrow, Wednesday, February 14th, at 7:30 p.m. EST.
The Hawks will look to bounce back from this loss and get back to winning ways as they play away from home at Spectrum Center against the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday, February 14th, at 7 p.m. EST.
