Bulls defeat Hawks in group stage matchup |
Chicago - Whether you love or hate the In-Season Tournament, it's not going anywhere for a long time. The format can be unorthodox when you think about it, but it is good for the game of basketball and brings a unique twist to the 82-game schedule. With the first part of the in-season tournament being the group stage round, where you have to play yourself into the finals, it was time for the Chicago Bulls (7-10) to take care of business as they were set to host their first group stage round at the United Center.
The Atlanta Hawks (7-10) stood in their way, as this was a game the Bulls needed to win. With Patrick Williams out of the lineup again as he continues to nurse his foot injury, it was Ayo Dosunmu stepping up. He was one of three players to drop 20 points and one of seven players to top double figures for the Bulls. That included all five starters, as the Bulls came out fast and never looked back for the 136-122 win. Anytime you can practically lead a game from start to finish, you're in great shape. The Bulls not only led after the first quarter, which is a rare occurrence, but they outscored the Hawks in each of the first three quarters. That included a 41-point third quarter to break the game open. The Hawks couldn't stop the hot-shooting Bulls, who shot 57% from the field and 44% from deep, connecting on 19 of their 43 three-point attempts. After being one of the worst three-point shooting teams the past few seasons, it has become a massive part of their game this season, and the Bulls are going to live and die from beyond the arc. Zach Lavine had the hot hand from distance, connecting for four triples on eight tries and leading the Bulls with 26 points. Lavine has been the offensive leader the Bulls have needed this season, but he was far from alone, as the entire starting five had at least 18 points. That included 20-point nights from Coby White and Dosunmu, as Dosunmu continues to play well when called upon to start. White managed to overcome a horrendous 3-12 night from deep by doing a great job getting to the rim, as the Bulls' offense was on fire from start to finish. Rounding out the Bulls' starting five were Josh Giddey and Nikola Vucevic, who dropped 18 points. Like Lavine, Vooch has been one of the Bulls' most consistent players. After going several games without a double-double, he got back on track with 18 points and 13 rebounds. Although he hasn't scored a ton recently, Giddey continues to do the little things well, so when you can get 18 points from him to go with eight assists, you like the team's chances offensively. While the Bulls' starting five was the big reason they won, the bench also stepped up, with two more players dropping double digits. Jalen Smith was one of those two guys, dropping four triples off the bench to finish with 13 points, with Dalen Terry adding a season-high 12. You also saw Matas Buzellis come through with nine points as he continues to see an increase in minutes each game. Anytime your opponent gets the starting production they did from the starting five, you have a tall task to try and match them. The Hawks did their best, with Jalen Johnson and Trae Young shouldering the load. Young has dominated the Bulls most of his career, but had one of his worst showings against the Bulls in their first meeting this season. He got back to looking like the Young of old against the Bulls, leading the Hawks with 25 points while dishing out 13 assists. Johnson continues to be one of the more improved players in the NBA and is quickly turning himself into a franchise player. Not only did he score 25 points, but he pulled down 13 boards to give him a big double-double. Speaking of double-doubles, Clint Capela was business as usual and gave the Hawks a massive inside presence all game. He came away with 21 points and pulled down 11 boards as those three shouldered the offensive load for the Hawks. That was it when it came to the double-digit scorers for the Hawks starters, but for them to score 122 points, they needed to get plenty of production across the board. Atlanta scored nearly 40 points off the bench, with 30 coming from two players. Bogdan Bogdanovic led the way from the bench with 16 points, most of which came from his four triples. D'Andre Hunter also had a strong showing, with 14 points, but it still wasn't enough to take down a Bulls team that continues to play well offensively. Chicago returns to the court on Saturday when it welcomes the Memphis Grizzlies to the United Center for its third back-to-back of the month.
