Bulls at Hawks
THE STORY: The Chicago Bulls went back to what they do the best - locking down on defense. That philosophy helped them even the series in Game 2 despite an off night from MVP Derrick Rose. The Atlanta Hawks are undaunted, however, after winning Game 1 and stealing home-court advantage in the best-of-seven set. Between Joe Johnson and the emergence of Jeff Teague, Atlanta has a backcourt that can give Rose trouble, especially if his ankle is not 100 percent. The Hawks will host the Bulls on Friday when the series shifts to Atlanta for Game 3.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
ABOUT THE HAWKS: After shooting 51 percent in a 103-95 victory in Game 1, Atlanta slipped to 34 percent in Game 2 - including 3-of-13 from 3-point range - in the 86-73 setback. Jamal Crawford, Marvin Williams and Al Horford were the worst offenders, combining to shoot 7-of-31. The backcourt was the bright spot, as Teague scored a team-high 21 points and Johnson chipped in 16. Going back home is not the big advantage for the Hawks that it would be for other teams, however, as they were only 24-17 at Philips Arena in the regular season. That mark is only better than the New York Knicks among NBA playoff teams.
ABOUT THE BULLS: Rose received his MVP trophy before Game 2 and led the way with 25 points. Still hobbled by an ankle injury which he suffered at the end of Game 1, Rose shot just 10-of-27 from the floor and turned the ball over eight times. Chicago was not exactly lighting it up on offense either in Game 2, but it did manage to control the tempo defensively. The Bulls amassed a 14-point lead in the third quarter and then held the Hawks without a field goal over the last 4:15 to secure the win. After getting outrebounded in Game 1, Chicago dominated the boards, 58-39. Joakim Noah pulled down 14 rebounds to go along with 19 points.
WHO’S HOT/WHO’S NOT: After scoring 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting for Atlanta in Game 1, Crawford slipped to 11 points on 2-of-10 in Game 2. Kyle Korver is shooting just 4-of-16 in the first two games for Chicago.
KEY STATISTIC: 3-point shooting. Neither team shot well from beyond the arc in Game 2, with the Bulls going 5-of-22 and the Hawks coming in at 3-of-13. Both teams shot better than 35 percent from 3-point range in the regular season.
LAST WORD: Carlos Boozer is dealing with a turf toe injury and managed just eight points on Wednesday. “It’s definitely painful,” Bulls guard Ronnie Brewer said of his teammate’s injury. “If you’ve played the game, if you’ve played any sport, you know how painful something as small as turf toe is.”