Atlanta Hawks Edge Chicago Bulls in Overtime 123-122
Summary
Fans inside State Farm Arena were treated to an instant classic on Sunday night. The Atlanta Hawks let another double-digit lead slip away to the Chicago Bulls, but that was just the beginning of the fireworks.
Hawks rookie AJ Griffin turned the ball over with eight seconds left in regulation. The play was initially called a foul, but a successful challenge from Bulls coach Billy Donovan gave Chicago the ball with one last shot. After a missed shot, Derrik Jones Jr. was fouled by Griffin, who then split the free throws and sent the game to overtime 110-110.
Fast forward to two seconds lefts in overtime, and Trae Young knocked down a 20-foot stepback jumper. But, again, the game was far from over. Bogdan Bogdanovic fouled DeMar DeRozan with .5 seconds left, and the veteran hit all three free throws to give Chicago a one-point lead.
Finally, Jalen Johnson found Griffin for a buzzer-beating alley-oop (Griffin's second of the season). The ATO play was drawn up by assistant coach Joe Prunty and executed to perfection.
Griffin went from scapegoat to hero in less than a second. McMillan and his coaching staff go from bashed to praised. And Atlanta gets some much-needed momentum as they head to Memphis to play the Grizzlies tomorrow.
Atlanta did a great job of limiting turnovers and playing defense. Young is still struggling with his shooting, but he made it when it counted tonight. The entire team deserves credit for how they have handled adversity over the past ten days.
Stats
Hawks Leaders
Bogdan Bogdanovic - 28 PTS, 7 REB
Trae Young - 19 PTS, 14 AST
AJ Griffin - 17 PTS, 2 REB
Bulls Leaders
DeMar DeRozan - 34 PTS, 13 REB
Zach LaVine - 21 PTS, 3 REB
Andre Drummond - 14 PTS, 9 REB
