Bulls-Hawks Preview

By JEFF MEZYDLO
Posted Jan 07 2012 1:00AM

Derrick Rose's latest performance against Atlanta should not have come as much of a surprise to the Hawks.

The reigning MVP looks for another strong game against the Hawks while trying to help the Chicago Bulls to a seventh consecutive victory overall when the teams meet for the second time in five days Saturday night.

After being dominated by Atlanta for three quarters Tuesday, Rose scored 17 of his 30 points in the fourth as Chicago (7-1) overcame a 19-point deficit and outscored the Hawks 34-18 in the final period for a 76-74 win at the United Center.

Luol Deng scored 21 points and made the game-winning layup with 3.7 seconds left to secure Chicago's third straight victory over the Hawks (5-3) dating to last season's Eastern Conference semifinals.

"We were right there with them," Atlanta center Al Horford said. "We dominated for most of the game. Just Derrick Rose happened."

Including the playoffs, Rose is averaging 30.3 points and 9.0 assists in his last nine games against the Hawks. He's averaged 31.8 on 50.5 percent shooting and 9.8 assists while the Bulls have won three of the last four at Atlanta.

Despite the exciting finish, neither team played particularly well Tuesday. Atlanta shot 35.0 percent while the Bulls made just 33.8 percent of their shots and went 2 for 21 in the second quarter.

The Hawks went 14 of 25 from the free-throw line.

"We stopped defending with the intensity that we did in the first three quarters," Hawks coach Larry Drew said. "We didn't make our free throws going down the stretch. If you don't make your free throws you can't expect to win."

The Hawks hope they have enough energy to avenge that defeat as they conclude a stretch of three games in three days.

Following the collapse at Chicago, Atlanta lost 116-109 in triple overtime at home Thursday to a Miami team without injured superstars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. The Hawks managed to bounce back but again needed overtime to win 102-96 at Charlotte on Friday.

"We understood coming into this season that the schedule was going to be hectic," said forward Josh Smith, who has averaged 18.3 points and 13.3 rebounds over the last three games. "You know it says a lot about this ballclub that when adversity hits us that we stand in there and we fight the battle."

Chicago, meanwhile, continues to roll after winning 97-83 at Orlando on Friday. The Bulls are off to their best start since winning 12 of 13 to open the 1996-97 season.

Rose had 21 points and 10 assists while Deng also scored 21 and Carlos Boozer saw some rare major fourth-quarter minutes to finish with 20 and 13 rebounds. Kyle Korver went 5 for 7 from 3-point range to score a season-best 18 off the bench.

"Anything to win," said Rose, averaging 20.9 points and 8.8 assists. "That was the whole mindset. Just try to get out aggressive. That was the whole game plan."

Chicago opponents are averaging 76.0 points in the last four games.

The Bulls could be without guard Richard Hamilton for a second straight game due to a groin injury while the Hawks might be minus Tracy McGrady for the second night in a row because of a bruised knee.

Smith scores 25 to lead Hawks over Bulls 109-94

By GEORGE HENRY
Posted Jan 07 2012 10:52PM

ATLANTA (AP) Josh Smith was embarrassed at how easily the Atlanta Hawks let Derrick Rose dominate them earlier in the week.

That wasn't the case against the Chicago Bulls star on Saturday night.

"We did a good team job on him defensively in crowding him, trapping him and showing him different looks," Smith said after the Hawks held Rose to just eight point in a 109-94 win over the Bulls. "We played sound defense on him."

Smith scored 25 points, and Joe Johnson and Vladimir Radmanovic each added 17 as Atlanta ended Chicago's six-game winning streak.

John Lucas III had 14 of his team-high 16 points in the fourth quarter for Chicago, which never led. The Bulls, who dropped to 7-2, had been off to their best start since going 12-0 in 1996-97.

Rose, last season's league MVP, had his lowest total since he scored six when the Bulls took a 17-point victory at Toronto on Dec. 15, 2010. He did not return to the game after leaving with 2:29 left in the third quarter.

"I give them credit," Rose said. "They played the way they're supposed to. Our defense let them score easy baskets in transition."

Both teams used mostly reserves in the fourth before Atlanta coach Larry Drew had starters Smith, Johnson and Al Horford enter the game for a few minutes late in the final period.

Kyle Korver finished with 13 points for the Bulls, and Carlos Boozer and Jimmy Butler each had 12. Omer Asik pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds.

The outcome was in stark contrast to last Tuesday at Chicago, where the Hawks blew a 19-point lead in the third quarter and allowed the Bulls to outscore them 34-18 during the final period in a 76-74 loss.

This time, there was no such ugly streak for Atlanta.

Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau was disappointed in the lack of ball movement on offense.

"In this league you usually get what you deserve," Thibodeau said. "This is the NBA. You've got to come every night. The ball has to move. You've got to give their defense credit. They're well balanced: they're good on offense, they're good on defense."

The Hawks, who improved to 6-3, have won two straight. They were up 17 late in the first quarter before the Bulls came within two with 4:09 to go in the second on Boozer's layup.

But Atlanta went on an 18-2 run, ending on Johnson's 12-foot runner in the final seconds of the half, to lead by 18 at intermission.

"This one's on the people that started the game," Bulls center Joakim Noah said after scoring one point and pulling down four rebounds in 17 minutes. "The second unit got it back to 4. It was embarrassing tonight. We know them. We've beaten this team before."

Jeff Teague's dunk with 5:52 left in the third quarter gave the Hawks their biggest lead at 29.

Hawks forward Marvin Williams left the game midway through the first with a sore left ankle and did not return.

Drew gave Radmanovich a season-high 28 minutes, and the 6-foot-10 forward responded by going 5 for 5 on 3-point attempts, handing out three assists and getting two steals.

Zaza Pachulia and Willie Green combined for 16 points and seven rebounds, but Drew credited the starters with providing the entire team with good energy early on.

"I thought we came out from the very beginning and played with a lot of emotion," Drew said. "I really thought we did a good job of just getting up and down the floor. We got some transition baskets. Defensively, we were on queue with everything we talked about."

Much of those discussions centered on limiting the damage from Rose, who scored 17 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter last Tuesday and helped the Bulls win 97-83 Friday in Orlando with 21 points and 10 assists.

"We had to get up on the pick-and-rolls more," said Teague, who was instructed to stay close to Rose. "We sat back the first game, and he picked us apart. He made 3s and did things, so we tried to get up on him a little more and let him see bodies. I think we did a pretty good job of that."

Notes: Horford finished with 14 points. ... The Hawks hosted Chicago for the first time since the Bulls beat them 4-2 in the Eastern Conference semifinals last season. ... Atlanta G Tracy McGrady went scoreless in 8 minutes after sitting out Friday's win at Charlotte with a bruised left knee. ... Chicago G Richard Hamilton was in uniform but missed his second straight game with a sore groin. ... Bulls G C.J. Watson is traveling with the team, but was sidelined for the fourth straight game with a dislocated left elbow. He's no longer wearing a sling. ... Smith missed his first six 3-point attempts this season before hitting one to make it 48-43 in the second.

Notebook: Hawks 109, Bulls 94

By Matt Winkeljohn, for NBA.com
Posted Saturday January 7, 2012 10:40PM

THE FACTS: Eager to avenge Tuesday's dreadful loss Tuesday in Chicago, the Atlanta Hawks paid no mind to the fact that they were playing their third game in three nights -- including a triple-overtime loss Thursday to Miami and an overtime win Friday in Charlotte. They torched the visiting Bulls 109-94 Saturday night in a game that wasn't as close as the final score.

Atlanta (6-3) started the game with a 12-1 burst and never looked back as Josh Smith scored a season-high 25 points, Joe Johnson added 17 and the Hawks' bench played big minutes as Chicago's six-game winning streak ended.

Vladimir Radmanovic replaced injured small forward Marvin Williams in the middle of the first quarter, and made all five of his three-pointers on the way to scoring 17 points. Atlanta made 9-of-12 treys, and the Hawks hit a season's-best 56.6 percent of their shots (47-of-83). They also registered a season-high 16 steals. Jeff Teague had five.

Reserve point guard John Lucas led the Bulls (7-2) with 16 points as Derrick Rose sat out the final 14:29 because the game was so lopsided. Atlanta led by 17 points in the first quarter, by 18 at halftime, 29 in the third period and 27 in the fourth.

Carlos Boozer was the only Chicago starter to reach double figures, with 12 points. Rose and Luol Deng had eight each while Joakim Noah and Ronnie Brewer combined for four.

QUOTABLE: "When we played at Houston (a Dec. 31 loss), they were playing their third in three nights and they played with an enormous amount of energy . . . and tonight, we were very similar. Our guys came out from the very beginning and played with a lot of emotion. We played like a team that might have been playing on its first night. We just took it to them. For the most part, we started with energy, and never let up."
-- Hawks coach Larry Drew.

THE STAT: 54.1 percent. The Hawks won just about every metric, but the biggest disparity came on jumpers taken from outside the paint. They made 20-of-37 (54.1 percent), including 9-of-12 three pointers (missing two in garbage time). Chicago made 12-of-37 outside the paint (32.4 percent).

TURNING POINT: The opening tip. Noah won it, and pushed it toward Rose. He failed to go aggressively toward the ball, however, and Atlanta's Al Horford stole it, drove and scored a barely-contested layup with just seven seconds off the clock. Chicago never tied or led the game.

QUOTABLE II: "Our backs were against the wall, and we needed to get this win. We really gave everything we had out there, more than before."
-- Horford.

HOT: After making 5-of-7 shots, Radmanovic has made 9-of-14 in the past two games, including 7-of-9 treys. That comes on the heels of a four-game streak where he made just 1-of-18 shots. . . . Hawks reserve guard Willie Green has made 15-of-23 shots over the past four games while averaging 10 points. . . . . Atlanta's Smith scored 23 and 25 points on back-to-back nights. . . . With eight assists Saturday, Hawks point guard Jeff Teague has 24 in the past three games. . . . Chicago's Kyle Korver has made 8-of-12 three-pointers in the past two games. He made 3-of-5 Saturday.

NOT: Noah missed all four of his shots, and has made just 2-of-13 in Chicago's past two games. He played just 17:21 Saturday. . . . Rose made 3-of-10 shots, and over his past two games he's made 10-of-28.

ROOKIE WATCH: Chicago guard Jimmy Butler made all three of his shots, and all six of his free throws for a season- and career-high 12 points. That tripled his total for Chicago's first eight games combined.

NOTABLE: Hawks starting small forward Marvin Williams left the game after spraining his ankle with 6:03 left in the first quarter, and did not return. Drew did not offer much detail about the injury, but said that Radmanovic is likely to be playing in Williams' place. . . . Atlanta's Jerry Stackhouse played for the second time this season. The 16-year veteran missed his only shot and is 0-for-2 overall. . . . Atlanta hit season highs in field goals made (47), shooting percentage (56.6), steals (16). . . . The Hawks made just 14-of-25 free throws in a 76-74 loss Tuesday at Chicago. They made all six from the line Saturday. . . . The Hawks' 109 points were the most allowed by Chicago this season, eclipsing the 101 scored by the Clippers Dec. 30. . . . Before the Hawks made 9-of-12 three pointers, the most the Bulls allowed in a game this season was eight by Sacramento Dec. 29 in Chicago's only previous loss.

UP NEXT: For the Bulls, Monday vs. Pistons, Tuesday @ Timberwolves, Wednesday vs. Wizards. For the Hawks, Monday @ Nets, Wednesday @ Pacers, Thursday vs. Bobcats.

• Bulls: --
• Hawks: Hinrich, Sloan

• Bulls: --
• Hawks: --

• Lead Changes: 0
• Times Tied: 0

• Arena: Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA
• Officials: #10 Ron Garretson, #27 Dick Bavetta, #50 Olandis Poole
• Attendance: 17112
• Duration: 1:59