Two surging Eastern Conference contenders clash when the Atlanta Hawks host the Chicago Bulls on Monday. The Hawks look to bounce back after having their nine-game winning streak snapped Saturday at Orlando, while the Bulls aim for their fourth straight win. Atlanta is third in the East, one game ahead of the Bulls, but has lost six straight meetings with Chicago dating to Dec. 22, 2012.
Atlanta was a second away from matching the fifth-longest winning streak in franchise history before Tobias Harris' buzzer-beater sent it to a 100-99 defeat. The Hawks will be happy to be back home, where they are 11-2 and have won six straight. The Bulls, who won 93-75 at Miami on Sunday, are 11-3 on the road, including an 8-0 mark against Eastern Conference opponents.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, CSN Chicago, SportSouth (Atlanta)
ABOUT THE BULLS (15-8): Chicago continued to showcase its balance against the Heat, as Mike Dunleavy scored 22 points to help make up for relatively quiet nights from Derrick Rose and Pau Gasol. "With what we have, there shouldn't be many nights where we struggle offensively," Dunleavy told reporters. "If the outside shots aren't going, we have many ways to get inside, and we can push the ball. We've got a lot of options." Center Joakim Noah (ankle) has missed three straight games and is day-to-day.
ABOUT THE HAWKS (16-7): Atlanta mirrors Chicago in that the Hawks have a defense-first philosophy with plenty of offensive weapons. Point guard Jeff Teague (17 points, seven assists) leads five players who average double-digit points, but coach Mike Budenholzer wants to see his team be more aggressive with the ball than it was against the Magic. "I think offensively we've got to get a little bit better," Budenholzer told reporters. "We've got to attack more. We've got to get in the paint."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Chicago is 3-3 in the second game of back-to-backs.
2. Hawks SG Kyle Korver has made 44 consecutive free throws, three shy of Tom McMillen's franchise record set in 1978-79.
3. Chicago is 11-1 and Atlanta is 12-1 when holding opponents under 100 points.