The Chicago Bulls picked up their third win of the season, holding off the Atlanta Hawks 128-123.
On a Monday night at the United Center, the Chicago Bulls turned on the jets and finished off the Atlanta Hawks by a score of 128-123. Eight Bulls scored over ten points in a win the entire group can be proud of.
Ayo Dosunmu led the team with 21 points (4-6 from 3-point range). Nikola Vucevic was a rebounding force, grabbing 17 boards to go with his nine assists (matching Tre Jones). Josh Giddey chipped in with his all-around solid play: 18 points, 13 boards, and five dimes.
A true team effort was turned in by this lunchpail toting squad. There is no go-to guy at this point; five different Bulls scored in the last three minutes. Eight players scored in double figures. Two players (Nikola Vucevic and Tre Jones) tallied nine assists, with the team assisting on 32 of their 48 made baskets. The team has completely bought in to each other and this brand of basketball.
Battling An Energy Lull
The first quarter was not at all what the Bulls have led us to expect thus far. Trailing 35-27, the Hawks were the original aggressors. Poor point of attack defense led to eight free throws in the opening stanza. Matas Buzelis received two early fouls, and Josh Giddey had two turnovers to just one assist.
Ending the half on a 8-2 run portended a massive outpouring of offense by Chicago in the third. The Bulls’ running resulted in a 41-34 point third quarter, punctuated by a dynamic reverse dunk by Buzelis.
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The entire team bought into the momentum shift. Eschewing the contested three pointers they shot in the first half, the Bulls adjusted and relentlessly attacked the rim, opening up 3-point shots in the process.
Closing the Cage on the Hawks
The Bulls made several huge plays down the stretch, often by players making up for defensive miscues.
Matas Buzelis was scored on twice by backdoor cuts, but hit a trey with 2:40 left to take the lead.
Josh Giddey also lost Dyson Daniels on the baseline, but Daniels blew the reverse layup. Giddey then sealed the game by rebounding his own desperation floater on the other end, kicking it out to Tre Jones. Jones was immediately fouled, and iced the game with two free throws.
Player of the Game
Ayo Dosunmu is the player of the game for Chicago. 21 points, four threes, and harassing defense on the perimeter made him the most impactful player. Plus/Minus agrees; he was positive 12 in that area. But how can you pick one?
Josh Giddey: 13 rebounds, and they weren’t of the easy variety either. He was sprinting to loose balls like a warthog trying to escape a lion. It’s not always a pretty watch, but his all-out effort stood out.
Patrick Williams’ stats won’t pop (12 points, three rebounds) but he continued to impress in his role. One play stood out for the New Pat: on a rebound, giving up nearly a foot of height, he aggressively boxed out Hawks center Kristaps Porzingas, knocking him backward. He was also aggressive scoring on the inside, making decisive moves that we haven’t seen from him since high school. Great start to the season for Williams.
The Bulls will look to keep the good times rolling Wednesday night against old friends Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan, and the Sacramento Kings. The Bulls are off to a great start, but can’t take teams for granted by any measure. Keeping the energy up and defending the perimeter like they have been should lead to another victory.
Notes
Isaac Okoro finally scored his first basket early in the first quarter. He ended with 10 points on the night
Zero charges were drawn.
The Bulls had 16 deflections on the night compared to 18 for the Hawks. Okoro, Vucevic, and Jones led the team with three apiece.
Josh Giddey really cleaned up his turnovers after having two in the first quarter. Giddey only had one additional turnover for the rest of the game.
Hawks superstar Trae Young was held to 1-10 shooting from deep, but managed to score 21 points. The Hawks were paced by Porzingas with 27 points and Jalen Johnson’s 25.