Dosunmu scores career-high as Bulls top Hawks |
ATLANTA - Monday wasn't just an ordinary game for the Chicago Bulls (26-28), as this had some playoff implications on the line. Sure, the Bulls are technically not in the playoffs, but since the Play-in was created three years ago, they would be in as they currently occupy the No. 9.
Chasing them down from behind are the Atlanta Hawks (24-30), who entered Monday just one game behind the Bulls for that No. 9 spot and a chance to tie things up with a win. This is what some call one of those swing games, as a loss would have the Bulls tied with Atlanta, where a win pushes them two games up. Every win is crucial this time of year, and both teams know that as the Hawks came out with a tremendous first quarter and jumped in front 33-26. It was all Chicago after that, as they outscored Atlanta in each of the last three quarters and outscored them by 17 during that stretch to claim the 136-126 victory and improve to 2-1 on this road trip. A lot of players stood out for the Bulls in this one, but none is as significant as Ayo Dosunmu, who has had a coming-out party since taking over for Patrick Williams. Dosunmu has shown impressive growth this season, and he is starting to prove that the long-term investment the Bulls made in him is worth their while. Sure, he is still inconsistent sometimes, but his scoring has picked up in recent weeks, which is always a good thing. Tuesday saw Dosunmu take his game to a whole new level, a level the Bulls are hoping to see more of, as he dropped a career-high 29 points on 12-18 shooting, including 5-7 from deep. This was the version of him that everyone saw at Illinois, and it couldn't have come at a better time. Three more 20-point scorers joined him, including Demar DeRozan, who continues to put together a nice string of games. In what could be his best overall stretch of ball this season, DeRozan matched Dosunmu with 29 points as those two flowed off of each other quite well. You also had Nikola Vucevic come through with another double-double as he added 24 points and 11 boards to continue to go about his business. The final 20-plus point scorer for the Bulls came in the form of Coby White, who was coming off one of his worst showings last time out. What better way to respond to that game than by going out and doing what you do best as he dropped 20 points and dished out seven assists in the win. While the offense was the story most of the night, the Bulls also received some bad news prior to the game, as Alex Caruso was ruled out with a foot injury. Expected to be day-to-day, losing Caruso is never easy, and it was up to Torrey Craig to pick up the slack as he made his first start in over three months. From a scoring side, Craig did just about what Caruso does, with nine points. He also added six rebounds and five assists as he did a little of everything in the win. Jevon Carter also came through with a solid performance after being a healthy scratch last time out. He connected for three triples off the bench as part of his 11 points, while Andre Drummond and Dalen Terry each added seven in the win. For the most part, the Hawks have been one of those teams that have given the Bulls issues in recent seasons, but that hasn't been the case this season, as the Bulls are 2-0 against them and have clinched the season series. Unlike the Bulls, who had four starters with 20 points, none of the Hawks starters managed that, but their bench kept them alive. Bogdan Bogdanovic especially came through when they needed him the most, as he led the Hawks with 28 points off the bench and hit on six of his 10 triples. Deandre Hunter also gave the Hawks a massive lift, adding 23 points himself off the bench while connecting on four triples. Those two accounted for 10 of the Hawks 14 triples as the rest of the team struggled from distance. That included All-Star PG Trae Young, who had one of his worst games to date against the Bulls. When you look at his career, Young has torched the Bulls for the better part of the past four seasons, but this wasn't one of those nights, as he was held to 19 points on just 2-10 shooting from deep. However, he added 14 assists and did a great job setting up the rest of his guys. Dejounte Murray was one of those guys, as he added 17 points and nine assists. You also had a 13-point, eight-rebound effort from Jaylon Johnson, who continues to come into his own, while Saddiq Bey and Onyeka Okongwu added 11 points, with Okongwu also picking up 12 boards in the loss. The win guarantees the Bulls not only finish with a .500 record on this trip, but they are guaranteed to remain ahead of the Hawks for now as we inch closer to the end of the season. Chicago closes out their road trip on Wednesday with a trip to the suddenly surging Cleveland Cavaliers.
