Missing 3 Starters, Bulls Shut Down Hawks 93-76
ATLANTA (AP) — Luol Deng had 25 points and 14 rebounds, and the short-handed Chicago Bulls used their stifling defense to shut down the Atlanta Hawks in a 93-76 victory on Saturday night.
Playing without injured starters Kirk Hinrich, Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer, Chicago dominated near the basket and got a lift from the frenetic play of Nate Robinson. The Bulls used only eight players for the second straight night, but it was more than enough for an impressive road win.
Taj Gibson had 19 points and matched his career high with 18 rebounds. Jimmy Butler added another double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Robinson went 4 for 6 from 3-point range and finished with 20 points.
Chicago played without injured starters Kirk Hinrich, Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer. It used only eight players for the second straight game.
Josh Smith led Atlanta with 19 points and 13 rebounds but he scored only three points in the second half. Jeff Teague scored 16, and Al Horford had 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said Hinrich had a procedure in Chicago on Saturday to have an infection cleaned out of his right elbow. Hinrich is expected to miss about a week.
Noah was held out with plantar fasciitis in his right foot. Boozer participated in pregame wamups but was not in uniform due to a right hamstring injury.
The lack of depth didn't hurt Chicago's defense. The Bulls, who held Atlanta to 20 first-half points in a 97-58 win on Jan. 14 in Chicago, again frustrated the Hawks.
Atlanta made only 6 of 19 3-point attempts and shot 39.2 percent from the field overall.
The Hawks also were less than full strength. Guard Devin Harris was in uniform but did not play due to a sore left foot. Backup center Zaza Pachulia was held out with a sore right Achilles.
Atlanta had a scare when Teague left in the first quarter with a right hip contusion. He returned in the second quarter and started the second half.
The Hawks led 44-43 at halftime, thanks to a jam by Smith following a DeShawn Stevenson steal. The Bulls scored the first eight points of the third and closed the period with six unanswered points to lead 69-60 entering the final period.
Marco Belinelli's jumper pushed the Bulls' lead to double figures for the first time at 72-62. Deng's 3-pointer ran the lead to 11, prompting Hawks coach Larry Drew to call a timeout with 7:41 remaining.
The Bulls continued to pull away with 3s by Deng and Butler after the timeout.
NOTES: Hawks G Anthony Morrow made his first appearance since Dec. 28. He had been out with a sore lower back. ... The Hawks signed G Jannero Pargo to a second 10-day contract. Pargo missed each of his six shots from the field, including four 3-pointers. ... DeShawn Stevenson, the fill-in starter for Harris, scored only two points while making one of six shots. ... The Bulls had a 53-45 edge in rebounds.
(© 2013 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.)
