NBA -- Hawks prey on slow starting Bulls, 120-105
By Homer D. Sayson
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 10 Jan 2016
CHICAGO -- Before the Bulls knew what hit them, the Atlanta Hawks had already built a comfortable 49-30 cushion with still 7:05 left in the second quarter.
And while the hottest team in the Eastern Conference entering Saturday night's encounter showed some spunk by cutting that 19-point deficit into two, 77-75, late in the third quarter, the timid start eventually ended Chicago's six-game winning streak.
"They had 30 in the first, 34 in the second. That's just too many," Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg told ESPN.com Chicago following his team's 120-105 demise at the Philips Arena in downtown Atlanta.
Jimmy Butler led the Bulls valiant effort with 27 points while Nikola Mirotic put up 24 points and 10 rebounds. Derrick Rose missed 10 of 15 shots before ending up with 17 markers and five assists. Taj Gibson and Pau Gasol combined for 21 points and 11 boards.
But it just wasn't enough against a Hawks team that made 52.1 percent of their field goals (49 of 94), including 10 of 24 from 3-point range.
Al Horford led Atlanta's charge with 33 points and 10 rebounds. Paul Millsap added 18 points while Dennis Schroder ran the offense efficiently with 13 points and eight helpers.
The Bulls never tasted the lead and fell to 22-13, second place in the East behind the 25-9 Cleveland Cavaliers, winners of six straight.
"They rocked us right away, hit us with a right-hand hook, stumbled us. We didn't respond early, they made a good run. And it's always tough to always try to fight back the whole game," Bulls forward Taj Gibson said.
The Hawks improved to 23-15. (HDS)
Photo: Al Horford took advantage of the Bulls' weakened interior defense by soring 33 points in Atlanta's romp over the Bulls, 120-105.
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