Bulls rally for comeback win over Hawks |
ATLANTA - How often have you heard this with the Chicago Bulls (4-6) this season? Chicago gets off to a slow start, falls behind by double digits, and finds a way to battle back in the end. After falling behind by double-digits not once, but twice against the Atlanta Hawks (4-7) at State Farm Arena on Saturday, the Bulls were again in a familiar place as they were down by as many as 20 points early in the second half.
Typically, a team would give up when facing a deficit that large late in the game, but not this team as coming from behind, although not a recipe for success, is something this team has gotten so accustomed to that it isn't out of the norm. With Zach Lavine returning to the lineup and eight players landing in double figures, including all five starters, it was the Bulls doing what they do best and picking up the come-from-behind win 125-113. It wasn't until the second half, in particular the fourth quarter, that the Bulls started to come to life. They outscored the Hawks by 22 points after being down by 10 at the half. That is hard to believe, as Chicago was down by as many as 20 points at one point late in the first half and into the fourth, and things were looking bleak for this team. From that point on, it was all Chicago as the Bulls outscored the Hawks by 40 the rest of the way, including a dominating 35-15 fourth quarter that capped off the comeback and led them to another come-from-behind win. Perhaps getting Lavine back was all the Bulls needed to get off the mat, as he was one of eight players to land in double figures. Lavine didn't have the best game, but with 18 points and seven assists, it was a very efficient game for him. Leading the way for Chicago was Ayo Dosunmu, who filled in for Lavine while in the starting lineup. Dosunmu has been going through a bit of a slump when it comes to shooting the ball, but with 19 points in 31 minutes off the bench, Dosunmu gave the Bulls the lift they were hoping off the bench as these are the types of games they need from him. It's hard to win a game when none of your players score 20 points, but that happened to the Bulls, as balanced scoring was the biggest key to this team's success. Coby White and Nikola Vucevic added 18 points to join Lavine, with Vucevic also pulling down 12 rebounds for his ninth double-double in 10 games this season. Vooch has been the biggest surprise in the Bulls lineup this season as he has been the most consistent player on the team since day one and arguably their best player. Rounding out the Bulls' starting five were Josh Giddey, who scored 13 points, and Patrick Williams, who scored 10 points and had seven rebounds in what was an overall solid game for him. Not only were 18 points a theme for the Bulls, with three players finishing with 18 points, but so was 10, as three Bulls had 10 points. Williams was the first of those three with his efforts in the starting lineup, but you also had Jalen Smith and Julian Phillips add 10 points off the bench to give the Bulls an excellent lift off the bench. You also had Dalen Terry put together one of his best games of the season with nine points off the bench, as the Bulls bench scored 48 points after putting up minimal production most of the season. Everyone knew that the Bulls would struggle coming into the season, but should they keep playing at the pace they are on, this team will win between 28 and 32 games this season. That would ultimately eliminate them from the Play-in, but that could be the best thing to happen to this team so they can keep their first-round pick. As bad of a team as this is, there are teams the Bulls should beat, and the Hawks are one of those teams. Atlanta has been in a similar position to Chicago for the past several seasons, but they have given the Bulls plenty of fits since Trae Young joined this team. Young has always dominated this team, but for the first time in forever, the Bulls seemed to handle him offensively, as he only had 14 points. He did dish out 16 assists to get the offense flowing, which tends to work out badly for most teams. Jalen Johnson and Clint Capela benefitted the most from Young's playing quarterback, as both of them finished with a game-high 20 points. Capela added nine rebounds, and Johnson picked up six rebounds and five assists in what was a complete game effort from him. Like the Bulls, all five of the Hawks starters wound up in double figures, although not at the same level as the Bulls and their starters. Zaccharie Risacher continues to play as the No. 1 overall pick has hit the ground running in his rookie season. With 17 points, he showed a lot of what he can do offensively, but apart from that, he didn't do much else for the Hawks. The biggest reason the Bulls won this game was the overall production from the bench, as the Bulls outscored the Hawks bench 48-26. Garrison Matthews and Onyeka Okongwu led the way with eight points as the Bulls ended their four-game skid.
