Joe Johnson leads Atlanta Hawks past Chicago Bulls, 103-95: NBA Play-off Recap
Joe Johnson posted 34 points to help the Atlanta Hawks hold off the top-seeded Chicago Bulls, 103-95, in the opening game of their second-round of play-off series on Monday night.
“I just want to come out and be aggressive and make plays,” Johnson said. “Collectively, as a team, we’ve been great in the postseason. We’ve approached every game with intensity.”
Jamal Crawford scored 22 points off the bench for Atlanta, which defeated Orlando Magic in six contests to advance to the Eastern Conference semi-finals for the third straight season.
“We’re the team that nobody talks about,” Crawford said.
Jeff Teague replaced an injured Kirk Hinrich and tallied 10 points for the fifth-seeded Hawks.
Derrick Rose notched 24 points and dished out 10 assists for Chicago, which needed five contests to defeat the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference quarter-finals.
Luol Deng finished with 21 points and six boards for Chicago, which advanced to the second-round for the second time since the club’s previous NBA championship in 1998. Carlos Boozer collected 14 points and eight rebounds, while Joakim Noah added 11 points
and nine boards in the loss.
Game 2 is set for Wednesday, also in the second City.
Atlanta started the game with a 9-0 run, while the Bulls got on the board in less than eight minutes of the play in the opening quarter when Deng hit a pair of free throws.
The Hawks shot 59.1 percent from the field over the opening 12 minutes to take a 28-18 advantage. Atlanta limited Rose to zero points in the first quarter.
Trailing 39-30, the Bulls went on an 8-2 surge mid-way through the second quarter. Deng chipped in the final four points of the burst to cut the gap to three points, 41-38.
Kyle Korver hit a three-pointer and Deng made a bank shot to get Chicago within one point, 47-46, with less than two minutes to play in the second. The Bulls trailed by a 51-50 margin heading into the second half.
Chicago opened the third quarter on a 10-5 run. Rose posted six points during the flurry and Boozer closed with a hook shot for a 60-56 advantage.
The Hawks went ahead 70-69 with 5-0 rum by Johnson late in the third quarter. They carried a 72-71 lead into the fourth period.
The Hawks opened the final quarter with an 8-0 surge. Johnson and Crawford drained three-pointers to give Atlanta an 80-71 advantage.
After Rose drilled two jumpers around a Zaza Pachulia layup, Atlanta notched five straight points to take an 87-75 lead.
The Bulls responded with a 6-0 burst to trim the deficit to six points, 87-81, with less than six minutes to go in the fourth.
However, the Hawks went on a 5-0 run moments later that put the game away. Crawford hit a jumper and a free throw around Josh Smith's jumper to put Atlanta up 94-83. The Bulls could get only as close as eight points the rest of the way.
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