Teague, Horford Lead Hawks Over Bulls, 113-90
CHICAGO (AP) — Jeff Teague had 17 points and eight assists, Al Horford scored 16 and the Atlanta Hawks routed the struggling Chicago Bulls, 113-90, on Wednesday night.
Dennis Schroder had 18 points and hit three of his team's 13 3-pointers. Paul Millsap scored 15, and the Southeast Division leaders headed into the All-Star break on a winning note after back-to-back losses to last-place Orlando.
The Hawks led by five at halftime and broke it open in the third quarter, sending the sloppy Bulls to their fourth straight loss and 13th in 18 games.
Pau Gasol had 20 points and 10 rebounds for Chicago after being selected Tuesday to his sixth All-Star team as a replacement for injured Bulls teammate Jimmy Butler.
Doug McDermott scored 17, but Derrick Rose was off target after missing a game because of soreness. The 2011 NBA MVP finished with 14 points on 6-of-18 shooting.
The Bulls, who saw themselves as a threat to Cleveland, continued their freefall in the Eastern Conference. They committed 19 turnovers, resulting in 25 points for Atlanta, and added to their long line of injuries with Taj Gibson exiting because of a strained left foot. The team announced late in the game that he would not return.
Atlanta led 53-48 at halftime thanks to Horford's 13 points and put the Bulls away in the third, outscoring them 38-25.
After Rose drained a 3-pointer 31 seconds into the second half, Atlanta went on a 15-2 run.
Kyle Korver hit a pair of 3s and scored eight during that stretch. Teague added five points, and Millsap finished the run with a 16-foot turnaround jumper, making it 68-53.
TIP-INS
Hawks: The team is mulling surgery for F Tiago Splitter, who missed his sixth consecutive game because of an ailing right hip. "We're working on that," coach Mike Budenholzer said when asked about Splitter's treatment plan. Splitter missed seven games earlier this season because of the injury.
Bulls: F Nikola Mirotic had his stitches removed, and the team hopes to have him start working out in the pool in the next few days, coach Fred Hoiberg said. Mirotic lost about 15 pounds following an appendectomy two weeks ago and the subsequent removal of a hemotoma. "From the sound of things, it was the first complication that this particular doctor has ever had in an appendix removal," Hoiberg said. "It's hard. It's a tough blow for Niko. It's a tough blow for (our team) because I thought he was playing good basketball." ... Hoiberg said Butler, sidelined by a strained left knee, will attend All-Star festivities in Toronto this weekend.
UP NEXT
Hawks: Host the Miami Heat on Feb. 19.
Bulls: At the Cleveland Cavaliers on Feb. 18.
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