Bulls at Hawks
The Chicago Bulls could be severely short-handed when they visit the
Atlanta Hawks on Saturday, but don't expect the home team to ease
up on the throttle. The Hawks suffered one of the most embarrassing
losses in franchise history at Chicago last month, setting team records
for fewest points in a quarter and a half in a 97-58 beatdown. That
rout capped a stretch in which Atlanta dropped six of seven games. The
Hawks have since regrouped to close out January with four victories in
five games - although all four wins came against sub-.500 teams.
Chicago
was down to eight healthy bodies Friday and the fatigue showed as
the Bulls wilted in the fourth quarter of a 93-89 loss at the Brooklyn Nets.
It was only the third defeat in 11 games for the Bulls, who were
without three starters in forward Carlos Boozer (hamstring), center
Joakim Noah (foot) and point guard Kirk Hinrich (elbow). The absence of
Boozer and Noah forced Luol Deng and Taj Gibson to play all but four
seconds. All three may be sidelined again Saturday, which doesn't bode
well against a well-rested Hawks squad.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, WGN (Chicago), SportSouth (Atlanta)
ABOUT THE BULLS (28-18):
The return of Deng from a five-game injury absence sent Jimmy Butler
back to the bench, but the second-year forward continues to produce.
Butler had 12 points and six rebounds against Brooklyn, marking the
eighth time in nine games he has scored in double figures. In his past
three games in a reserve role, Butler has averaged 16.3 points and six
boards while shooting 62.5 percent from the floor. Marco Belinelli also
provided quality minutes off the bench with his highest output in six
weeks, scoring 18 points.
ABOUT THE HAWKS (26-19): Kyle
Korver has been lighting it up from behind the arc while extending his
string of games in double figures to eight. In the past seven contests,
Korver has knocked down 31 of 51 3-point attempts - a healthy 60.8
percent - to help Atlanta establish a franchise record of five
consecutive games with at least 10 3-pointers. Korver has nailed at
least five 3-pointers four times during that stretch, including a
career-high eight - all in the second half - in a double-overtime
victory over the Boston Celtics last Sunday.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Bulls were manhandled on the backboards by Brooklyn 40-29, their fewest rebounds since December 2010.
2. Atlanta was held to five second-quarter points and 20 first-half points in the demolition at Chicago last month.
3. The Bulls won three of four meetings last season, but the Hawks crushed Chicago 92-75 in Atlanta on Dec. 22.