After their first loss in ten games, the Atlanta Hawks were back home in Phillips Arena Monday night, where they have only lost twice this season. Facing the experienced and talented Chicago Bulls, the Hawks used tenacious defense and effective offense to beat the Bulls, 93-86.
The first half offense for Atlanta showed the variety of weapons at the disposal of Mike Budenholzer, as they scored 20 points in the paint as well as eight fast break points. Hawks sharpshooterKyle Korverchipped in with three buckets from the three-point arc. However, rising Bulls starJimmy Butlershowed the Hawk defense he would be hard to contain as racked up 14 points and 6 rebounds in the first half alone.
With quality performances from the bench, Atlanta held the lead going into the fourth quarter. VeteranElton Brandand young point guard Dennis Schröder combined for 12 points off the bench.Al Horfordcontinued his commanding game with 21 points and 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double (and second 20-10 game) of the 2014-2015 season. However,Derrick Roseand the Bulls clawed their way back to the final minute, closing the lead to as few as 2 points. Fortunately, it proved to be not enough as the Hawks shut down any hope of a comeback with execution in the final seconds, including two free throws fromJeff Teaguewith less than a minute remaining to seal the victory.
With the win, the Atlanta Hawks still hold the third spot in the Eastern Conference standings. After a day off on Tuesday, the Hawks travel to Cleveland to take onLeBron Jamesand the Cavaliers, in a rematch of a blowout loss earlier in the season. Stay tuned.
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