Bulls-Hawks Preview

By MATT BECKER
Posted Feb 02 2013 12:12AM

When Chicago and Atlanta met three weeks ago, the Bulls put together one of the best defensive performances in franchise history.

Duplicating that showing could be difficult.

Possibly playing short-handed for a second straight day, the Bulls try to bounce back from a tough loss when they visit the Hawks on Saturday night.

Chicago (28-18) used only eight players for Friday's game in Brooklyn as All-Star Joakim Noah (foot) and fellow starters Carlos Boozer (hamstring) and Kirk Hinrich (right elbow) were sidelined. The Bulls, however, have played the entire season without Derrick Rose and have been giving opponents fits.

Friday's game was no different, as the Central Division leaders led 67-63 through three quarters before seeming to tire down the stretch in a 93-89 loss, just their third defeat in 11 games.

"This is good for our team," Taj Gibson said. "It's all for the better come playoff time when we get everybody back and we're fully healthy, we feel like we've got a shot of winning the East."

While Boozer missed his second straight game and his status for Saturday is uncertain, Hinrich will almost certainly be out since he returned to Chicago and Noah didn't sound too optimistic about returning.

"I know it's hard to come back from, but I'm on it a lot earlier than I was last time," said Noah, who missed 18 games with plantar fasciitis during the 2009-10 season.

The absence of Noah and Boozer, two of the league's top rebounders at 11.3 and 9.7 per game, respectively, was evident as Brooklyn outrebounded Chicago 40-29. It was the Bulls' fewest boards since grabbing 21 against Orlando on Dec. 1, 2010.

With a thin bench, Gibson (16 points) played all 48 minutes, Luol Deng (18 points) played all but four seconds and Nate Robinson (12 points, 11 assists) played 41. While Deng averages an NBA-high 40 minutes, Gibson averages 21 and Robinson is at 22.

This seems like it could spell trouble against a Hawks team that should be well rested having been off since Wednesday's 93-92 victory over Toronto.

Al Horford had the go-ahead dunk with 21 seconds remaining and blocked two shots in the closing seconds to help Atlanta (26-19) win for the fourth time in five games.

Horford finished with 22 points, Josh Smith scored 20 and former Bull Kyle Korver added 17 while making five 3-pointers. Atlanta is 14-4 when Korver scores at least 13, compared to 9-13 when he doesn't.

While getting scoring from Korver is valuable, the offense goes through Horford and Smith - and both are playing well. Horford is averaging 22.5 points on 63.8 percent shooting in his last four games and Smith is averaging 21.8 in his last four - 5.0 better than his team-leading average.

Not surprisingly, the Hawks, who average 96.7 points on the season, are at 105.6 in their last five games.

They were nowhere near as productive offensively in Chicago on Jan. 14.

The Bulls won 97-58 while holding the Hawks to a franchise-low 20 first-half points - five in the second quarter - and also set a club record for fewest points allowed in a game while limiting Atlanta to 29.3 percent shooting. Reserve forward Mike Scott led Atlanta with 10 points as none of the starters reached double figures. Jeff Teague's layup with 7.9 seconds left prevented the Hawks from the lowest-scoring total in franchise history.

The last meeting in Atlanta was a different story, however, as the Hawks cruised to a 92-75 victory on Dec. 22. They outscored the Bulls 36-16 in the second quarter and Deng (11 points) and Noah (10) were the only two Chicago players in double figures.

The Bulls have still won six of the last eight regular-season meetings.

Bulls beat Hawks 93-76 with 3 starters held out

By CHARLES ODUM
Posted Feb 02 2013 10:43PM

ATLANTA (AP) Luol Deng and Taj Gibson were exhausted and determined to stay on the floor. They kept playing in the final minutes, long after the Chicago Bulls had secured another win.

Deng said the starters in a patchwork lineup were determined to finish what they started.

Deng had 25 points and 14 rebounds, and the short-handed Bulls used their stifling defense to shut down the Atlanta Hawks in a 93-76 victory on Saturday night.

Playing without injured starters Kirk Hinrich, Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer, Chicago dominated near the basket and got a lift from the frenetic play of Nate Robinson. The Bulls used only eight players for the second straight night, but it was more than enough for an impressive road win.

Deng, Gibson and Jimmy Butler each logged more than 45 minutes. Robinson topped 40 minutes as the Bulls had a strong answer for their 89-83 loss at the Nets on Friday night.

"We spoke before the game about how hard we played," Deng said of the loss to the Nets. "We were happy with it but we just told each other if we play hard and we don't win we don't get rewarded for that. So we definitely wanted to finish the whole game, the whole 48 minutes."

Gibson had 19 points and a career-high 19 rebounds.

"They kept giving me electrolytes during the game but I just kept wanting to play," Gibson said. "I know late in the game I ran out of gas and I didn't want that to happen tonight because I felt like we let one slide last night and this team is even better. So I had to go out there and just play a little harder."

Butler added another double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Robinson went 4 for 6 from 3-point range and finished with 20 points.

The Hawks had no answer for Deng, who had five assists, four steals and two blocks. He had seven offensive rebounds.

"Luol was Luol, hitting big shots, grabbing rebounds and guarding everyone on the floor," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said.

Josh Smith led Atlanta with 19 points and 13 rebounds but his only basket in the second half was a 3-pointer. Jeff Teague scored 16, and Al Horford had 14 points and 12 rebounds.

Hawks coach Larry Drew was frustrated his players couldn't match the energy of a banged-up Chicago team playing away from home for the second straight night.

"We did not respond in tonight's game," Drew said. "From a physical standpoint, they absolutely manhandled us."

Thibodeau said Hinrich had a procedure in Chicago on Saturday to have an infection cleaned out of his right elbow. The guard is expected to miss about a week.

Noah was held out with plantar fasciitis in his right foot. Boozer participated in pregame wamups but was not in uniform due to a right hamstring injury.

The lack of depth didn't hurt Chicago's defense. The Bulls, who held Atlanta to 20 first-half points in a 97-58 win on Jan. 14 in Chicago, again frustrated the Hawks.

Atlanta made only 6 of 19 3-point attempts and shot 39.2 percent from the field overall.

"They came out and just forced their will the whole game," Horford said. "They dominated.

"They were by far the more aggressive team. You've got to give them credit. They really took it to us today."

The Hawks also were less than full strength. Guard Devin Harris was in uniform but did not play due to a sore left foot. Backup center Zaza Pachulia was held out with a sore right Achilles.

Atlanta had a scare when Teague left in the first quarter with a right hip contusion. He returned in the second quarter and started the second half.

The Hawks led 44-43 at halftime, thanks to a jam by Smith following a DeShawn Stevenson steal. The Bulls scored the first eight points of the third and closed the period with six unanswered points to lead 69-60 entering the final period.

Marco Belinelli's jumper pushed the Bulls' lead to double figures for the first time at 72-62. Deng's 3-pointer ran the lead to 11, prompting Drew to call a timeout with 7:41 remaining.

The Bulls continued to pull away with 3s by Deng and Butler after the timeout.

NOTES: Deng, Butler and Gibson combined for 60 points and 43 rebounds as the Bulls had a 54-45 advantage in rebounds. ... Hawks G Anthony Morrow made his first appearance since Dec. 28. He had been out with a sore lower back. ... The Hawks signed G Jannero Pargo to a second 10-day contract. Pargo missed each of his six shots from the field, including four 3-pointers. ... Stevenson, the fill-in starter for Harris, scored only two points while making one of six shots.

Notebook: Bulls 93, Hawks 76

Matt Winkeljohn, for NBA.com
Posted Sat Feb 02, 2013 10:38 PM - Updated Sat Feb 02, 2013 10:38 PM

THE FACTS: The injury-riddled Bulls played small ball to great effect Saturday when Luol Deng had 25 points and a season-high 14 rebounds in a 93-76 win over the host Hawks.

Chicago (29-18) was without starting point guard Kirk Hinrich (right elbow), center Joakim Noah (right foot) and power forward Carlos Boozer (right hamstring), but all of their subs were spectacular.

Taj Gibson, one night after playing all 48 minutes at forward in a tough loss in Brooklyn, had 19 points and a career-high 19 rebounds at center. New to the lineup, Jimmy Butler was good for 16 points and 10 rebounds at forward.

Nate Robinson had 20 points, eight assists at three steals at point guard. He scored 12 points in the third quarter, when Chicago began the period with an 11-2 run after Atlanta led 44-43 at the half.

Deng (45:45), Butler (45:37), Gibson (45:13) and Robinson (40.37) all played at least 40 minutes for the second night in a row. Deng tied his season high with four steals, Butler tied his season high with three, and Robinson added three thefts as well.

When the Bulls beat the Hawks 97-58 in Chicago on Jan. 14, Atlanta (26-20) barely missed a franchise low for points. Saturday, they scored just 32 points after halftime.

Atlanta's Josh Smith had 19 points and 13 rebounds, but scored just three in the second half.

QUOTABLE: "The effort tonight just symbolizes how we play . . . I'm exhausted, but I kept just wanting to play. [Friday] night I kind of ran out of gas, but I didn't want that to happen tonight."
-- Gibson.

THE STAT: +11 -- The Bulls outrebounded the Hawks 29-18 in the second half, when they outscored Atlanta 50-32. Gibson had 13 caroms in the secnd half.

TURNING POINT: The Bulls wrestled the game away in the first 3:24 of the third quarter with an 11-2 run. The Hawks missed their first four shots of the half and had a turnover mixed in. The Bulls outrebounded Atlanta 5-0 in that stretch.

QUOTABLE II: "You have to give the Bulls credit. They played last night. They just imposed their will on us. They threw us off with four guards. They had a lot of movement. They were by far the more aggressive team."
-- Hawks center Al Horford.

HOT: Gibson had eight points, 13 rebounds, three blocked shots and two assists while playing all 24 minutes of the second half. . . . Kyle Korver shot 3-for-5 on three pointers, and has now made at least one in 40 consecutive games -- two games short of Mookie Blaylock's franchise record. . . . Butler's playing time has increased dramatically over the past nine games, and he's making use of it. His scoring average is up to 7.2 points per game after he scored in double digits in eight of those games. He's averaged 15.2 in that stretch.

NOT: Ivan Johnson had eight points and nine rebounds off the bench for Atlanta, but the rest of the Hawks' reserves combined for just seven points and four rebounds in a combined 54:27. Jannero Pargo -- signed Saturday to his second 10-day contract -- was 0-for-6.

GOOD MOVE: Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau's decision to go small with injuries to Boozer and Noah worked. Gibson (6-9) and Butler (6-7) sure didn't play as if undersized. Nazr Mohammed (6-10) started at center for the Bulls Friday at Brooklyn, but did not play Saturday. Vladimir Radmanovic (6-10) played just 5:02 off the bench.

BAD MOVE: With Devin Harris' nagging right foot sore enough to keep him out of action for Atlanta, Hawks coach Larry Drew opted to move Korver down from small forward to Harris' shooting guard spot, and start DeShawn Stevenson at small forward. Korver struggled defensively with quicker players, and Stevenson -- who has been bothered most of the season by balky knees -- scored two points with one rebound in 17:30. He shot 1-for-6.

ROOKIE REPORT: Atlanta guard/forward John Jenkins has seen his playing time ramp up beginning with the recent season-ending knee injury to Lou Williams and because of the absence of Anthony Morrow. With Harris unavailable, he played 22:35 Saturday and managed five points on 2-for-3 shooting with two assists. Jenkins is a shooter, but predictably deficient on defense.

NOTABLE: Drew said Harris is, "day-to-day." . . . Boozer (hamstring) warmed up before the game, but the Bulls opted to hold him out for the third straight contest. . . . Hinrich has returned to Chicago to have his elbow examined. He cut it earlier this season, and has had pain recently. . . . Morrow played three-plus minutes at the wing after missing 18 games with back and hip problems, but missed all three shots in that span. . . . If the season ended today, these teams would meet in the first round of the playoffs.

UP NEXT: For the Bulls, Monday @ Indiana, Thursday @ Denver, Friday @ Utah. For the Hawks, Tuesday @ Indiana, Wednesday vs. Memphis, Friday vs. New Orleans.

• Bulls: Hinrich, Rose
• Hawks: Pachulia, Williams

• Bulls: --
• Hawks: Johnson

• Lead Changes: 6
• Times Tied: 4

• Arena: Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA
• Officials: #13 Monty McCutchen, #27 Dick Bavetta, #72 J.T. Orr
• Attendance: 17898
• Duration: 1:59