Derrick Rose scores 34 as Chicago Bulls overpower Atlanta Hawks for a fifth consecutive win
No Carlos Boozer, no problem. Derrick Rose took the responsibility to lead the squad and displayed a fabulous all-around game with 34 points as the Chicago Bulls clipped the Atlanta Hawks 94-76 on
Friday night. The victory extended the Bulls winning streak to four games while it was the fourth straight defeat for the Hawks.
Forward Luol Deng chipped in with 18 points, seven assists, and nine rebounds for the Bulls, who have won eight of the last ten games this season. It was first appearance of centre Kurt Thomas since
February 23, but he played an effective in the victory with game-high 13 rebounds. The 25-year-old centre Joakim Noah could not add even a single point to the scorecard. The intimidating centre however made up for his cold shooting by dishing out 11 assists
for the Bulls.
For the Hawks, Joe Johnson led with a team-high 16 points. Josh Smith scored 15 points while Jamal Crawford came off the bench with 14 points for Atlanta, who lost seven of the previous ten games of
the season.
Game Story
Starting without their power forward, Carlos Boozer, who was out due to a sprained left ankle, the Bulls entered the game in a rather precarious position. However, they went all out onto the court,
controlled the pace of the game, set up tight screens and ran all over the struggling Hawks to scratch out an impressive 18-point margin.
Both teams started the contest with some sloppy shots. However, the Bulls soon started to find touch. Behind 10 points from Deng, the Bulls managed to take a 22-20 lead at the end of first quarter.
Rose cooled off in the second quarter as he hit just two of the 11 attempted shots. On the other hand, the Hawks got their shooting touch back and converted the 2-point deficit into a 50-48 advantage at halftime.
Rose, however turned out as a completely different player after the break and scorched the Hawks with 16 points in the third quarter. Rose’s heroics upfront were bolstered with some pin tight defence
by the Bulls, who reduced the Hawks to only ten points in the frame. The Bulls outplayed the Hawks 24-10 in the third and carried a 72-60 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Hawks bench tried to spark a comeback in the fourth but the Bulls 12 point lead was a little too much to overcome.
Johnson however was still confident at the end fourth defeat in a row, "We still have a lot more basketball left." "We have just got to stay positive and get out of this little rut we are in."
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