Atlanta Hawks Beat Chicago Bulls 123-105

Summary

The Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls are virtual locks for the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament, but seeding is anything but certain. On Tuesday night, Atlanta defeated Chicago 123-105 to split the season series and gain separation in the standings.

Trae Young (illness) and De'Andre Hunter (knee) missed the game, which altered Hawks coach Quin Snyder's rotation. Saddiq Bey and Bogdan Bogdanovic were elevated into the starting lineup, while Trent Forrest logged 11 minutes off the bench (his most playing time since February 4).

Bogdanovic and Bey led the Hawks with 26 and 18 points, respectively. However, Atlanta was noticeably sloppier without their floor general, turning the ball over 16 times. Luckily, their 35.7% three-point shooting offset some of the damage.

After a hot start that saw Atlanta gain a 20-point advantage, Chicago's dual threat of Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan narrowed the lead but could never close the gap. Chicago shot a dismal 7-31 (22.6%) from deep and was outrebounded 48-32.

Atlanta improves to 40-39, while Chicago falls to 38-41 on the season. The Hawks fly home for a matchup against the Washington Wizards at State Farm Arena on Wednesday night.

Stats

Hawks Leaders

Bogdan Bogdanovic - 26 PTS, 5 AST

Saddiq Bey - 18 PTS, 4 AST

Dejounte Murray - 17 PTS, 9 AST

Bulls Leaders

Zach LaVine - 26 PTS, 6 AST

DeMar DeRozan - 21 PTS, 4 REB

Nikola Vucevic - 19 PTS, 10 REB