Atlanta Hawks bully Chicago Bulls, 120-105

The Atlanta Hawks shot the basketball magnificently against the strong defense of the Chicago Bulls, defeating the Bulls on Saturday evening, 120-105.

The Atlanta Hawks continue their winning ways by knocking off the Chicago Bulls at Philips Arena Saturday evening, 120-105. Entering Saturday’s contest in Atlanta, the Bulls had won six straight and sat in second place in the strong Eastern Conference. Atlanta was fifth entering the game, coming off their strong win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night, 126-98.

Al Horford was nearly unstoppable in this game, with 33 points on 15-21 shooting. He had 10 rebounds, six assists, four blocked shots, and a steal. Horford had a game-high in plus/minus with +22 as well. For a team that has as strong of a defensive identity as the Chicago Bulls, Al Horford got whatever he wanted in the paint and in the alley-oop transition game.

The Atlanta Hawks had five other players in double figures scoring. Paul Millsap continues to play at an elite level at power forward this season Atlanta. He had 18 points, eight rebounds, six blocks, three assists and two steals.

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Kyle Korver seems to have gotten his sweet shooting stroke back now that his black eye has finally faded away. Korver had 13 points on 5-8 shooting, including 3-6 from long distance. Jeff Teague played well at the point despite rolling his ankle badly again in the first quarter. Teague finished with 12 points on 5-9 shooting and six assists.

Off the Atlanta Hawks’ bench, Dennis Schroder had 13 points on 5-11 shooting, including 2-3 from beyond the arc. He had eight assists, five rebounds, two steals, and a block. Combined with Teague, Schroder made for a difficult for the Bulls’ backcourt defensively. He had a strong plus/minus of +18.

Mike Scott continues to flourish as a key piece in the Atlanta Hawks’ rotation. He had 14 points on 6-7 shooting, including 2-3 from three-point land. His improved offensive efficiency allows Scott to play more minutes in head coach Mike Budenholzer’s system, despite still being a below-average defensive player.

Overall, this game was somewhat of measuring stick contest between two great teams in the Eastern Conference. Atlanta and Chicago had not met since the final week of the 2014-15 regular season. The Bulls are still a tremendously talented, but there are obvious growing pains with their new coaching staff, especially in low post on the road.

Atlanta will have the next few days off before the Hawks will play their Southeast Division rival in the Charlotte Hornets at Time Warner Cable Arena on Wednesday night. Tipoff from The Hive on Hump Day will occur 7:00 PM ET and the game will air as usual on Fox Sports Southeast.

Next: Atlanta Hawks host Chicago Bulls Saturday evening

After dropping a pair of frustrating games to the New York Knicks, the Atlanta Hawks are now riding a two-game winning streak before their Southeast Division rivalry game in the Queen City Wednesday night. Beating a team like the Chicago Bulls this convincingly is always good for team morale. Al Horford was spectacular Saturday night. Let’s Go Hawks!