Hawks pick up 130-124 win over Bulls behind backcourt’s offensive explosion

The Atlanta Hawks were back at home to take on the Chicago Bulls. These two teams were in a battle the last time they played, as the Bulls came away with the victory. This time it was the Hawks who returned the favor, defeating the Bulls 130-124.

Trae Young and Clint Capela connected early, as Capela had eight points in the first quarter.

After being listed as a game-time decision due to an anke injury, Young was active and scored 10 points in the first quarter.

Despite having solid quarters from both Capela and Young, the Hawks were still not able to contain the Bulls on offense, as they went into the second quarter with a 35-29 lead.

The second unit came into the second quarter and kept it close with the Bulls, as Gorgui Dieng saw minutes with Onyeka Okongwu being out due to concussion protocols. Dieng was active, hitting two three and dishing out two assists.

The Hawks didn’t have a problem getting a bucket on offense, but defense is where they continued to fall short in the second quarter. The closest the Hawks got within the Bulls was three points and by the end of the second, the Bulls led 63-56.

The Hawks looked like a different team in the third quarter, especially De’Andre Hunter who came out aggressive. Not only were the Hawks on point offensively, but they locked in defensively as well.

The Hawks went on a 28-10 run to take the lead, and that was thanks to Kevin Huerter’s 10 points in the quarter.

The Bulls came back with a big run of their own and took the lead back late into the third quarter, as the Hawks fell flat offensively. The Hawks trailed 92-90 heading into the fourth.

It was too much DeRozan to start the fourth, as he went on a scoring run himself to extend the Bulls lead. It looked like the Hawks were letting the game drift away from them after having a good run in the third quarter.

Young, Hunter and Capela came back in for the Hawks and pushed them back into the game. Bogdan Bogdanovic hit a big three to give the Hawks a one-point lead.

It was another back and forth contest between the two down the stretch, unlike the last game, Young was big in the final minutes. He hit two threes that essentially put the Bulls away as the Hawks scored 40 points in the final frame on the way to the win.

Six players finished with double-digit points for Atlanta, as Young led the way with 39 (16 in the fourth quarter) to go with 13 assists. Bogdanovic finished with 20 off the bench as he continues to play well of late. Hunter (18 points) and Huerter (17 points) each had solid games as well.

The Hawks will be on the road tomorrow night to take on the Washington Wizards.

Stay tuned.