Hawks at Bulls
THE STORY: The Chicago Bulls suffered a big letdown without
Derrick Rose on Saturday. Luckily, the reigning MVP appears to be on his
way back to the lineup. Rose, who has missed the last five games
because of back spasms, participated in Sunday’s practice and will be a
game-time decision when the Bulls host the Atlanta Hawks on Monday.
Atlanta has dropped six of its last nine games while averaging 87.0
points. The Hawks are 1-2 on their current five-game road trip, with
Chicago and New York rounding out the journey.
TV: 4 p.m. ET, ESPN, SportSouth (Hawks), CS Chicago (Bulls), ESPN3.com
ABOUT THE HAWKS (19-12):
Atlanta is limping into the All-Star break with an offense that rarely
gets out of first gear. After reaching the century mark for the first
time this month in a 101-99 win at Phoenix on Wednesday, the Hawks shot
41.1 percent in a 97-77 loss at Portland on Saturday. All-Star guard Joe
Johnson has struggled more than most, shooting 19.2 percent (5 for 26)
from 3-point range over the last four games and failing to reach 50
percent from the field in any game this month. Atlanta beat Chicago
109-94 at home on Jan. 7, but fell in Chicago 76-74 four days earlier.
ABOUT THE BULLS (25-8):
Chicago was riding high after beating the Boston Celtics without Rose
on Thursday, but crashed Saturday. The lowly New Jersey Nets began the
game with a 22-3 run and ended up cruising to a 97-85 win. The Bulls
were torched by Deron Williams, who would have drawn the assignment on
Rose. Chicago has two more games before the All-Star break and could
elect to let Rose have the entire time to rest. C.J. Watson has gotten
the starts in his place and has shot 34.4 percent from the floor while
averaging 12.0 points and 3.6 assists.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Chicago beat Atlanta in six games in the Eastern Conference semifinals last spring.
2. Rose has averaged 22.8 points and 6.6 assists in 12 career games against the Hawks.
3. Johnson has put up 18.6 points in 42.1 percent shooting in 32 career games against the Bulls.