The day after a grueling match lost in the final seconds on the Pistons floor, the Hawks once again bit the dust at home, after looking good for three quarters. Running out of juice in the last act, Quin Snyder's men this time ended up letting go against the White-Dosunmu-LaVine trio.
After a controlled first half (70-60) with desire, intensity and Trae Young in organizer mode with already 10 assists on the clock, Atlanta had managed to move up a gear to count up to 17 points ahead after returning from the locker room, with the Daniels-Johnson-Risacher triplet in action (77-60). But Chicago was far from having said its last word.
The Bulls played the perfect dragging match, biding their time to take advantage of their opponent's drop in physical fitness to gain the upper hand. And that's exactly what happened. 3-pointers from Ayo Dosunmu, Nikola Vucevic and Dalen Terry revived Chicago. And despite flights from Jalen Johnson and Zaccharie Risacher, then Larry Nance Jr.'s 3-pointer to delay the deadline, Chicago quickly confirmed its return to business from the start of the fourth quarter with a scathing 14-2.
The White-Giddey pair showed the way, Jalen Smith followed with a 3-pointer and a dunk to put his team in the lead for the first time in the match, and Patrick Williams delivered the coup de grace on the counterattack to bring the mark to 104-101. At the end of their rope, the Hawks then faltered in just over a minute, with two baskets in a row from Zach LaVine and a 2+1 from Ayo Dosunmu in transition (107-115). Coby White was responsible for finishing the job with a 3-pointer then three shots to seal the suspense, Chicago winning 125-113.
WHAT TO REMEMBER
– A final one-sided act. The Chicago players knew that the Hawks would eventually slow down after having delivered a very intense fight the day before in Detroit. The plan could have gone wrong when the locals went to +17 at the start of the third quarter, but the Bulls finished strong, with a final one-sided act, marked by big defensive sequences and great efficiency in attack for arriving at a 35-15 without appeal. The 12-0 which allowed Chicago to take the lead was extremely quick as the match changed in less than three minutes. Same thing for the 7-0 that followed…
– Winning return for Zach LaVine. Affected in the thigh for a long week, Zach LaVine made his return after three games of absence, delivering a complete performance, in addition to allowing his team to return to victory. Author of 18 points, 7/12 shooting, with a little waste from afar (1/5), he was especially valuable for his creation for others with 7 assists, his best total since the start of the season .
– Zaccharie Risacher on alternating current. Good passages, especially in the second half where he was more aggressive, and other moments where we no longer see him, a bit like during the match the day before in Detroit even if he finished with a better line stats (17 points at 6/14 shooting, 2 rebounds, 2 blocks).
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
