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Atlanta Hawks Outscores Chicago 50-25 in 4th Quarter to Complete Improbable Comeback Win vs Bulls

Atlanta won their second straight game tonight, beating the Bulls with a fantastic 4th quarter

Jackson Caudell

Dec 26, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward De'Andre Hunter (12) shoots past Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (0) in the second quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Dec 26, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward De'Andre Hunter (12) shoots past Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (0) in the second quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images
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After beating the Timberwolves on Monday night, the Hawks hoped to have a little extra luck with them on the day after Christmas vs the Chicago Bulls.

They got every bit of luck they needed tonight vs the Bulls.

Atlanta trailed by as many as 21 in the game and could not get a stop through the first three and half quarters, but then all of a sudden, everything clicked and the Hawks completed one of the wildest 4th quarter comebacks in the NBA this season. Atlanta outscored Chicago 50-25 in the final quarter, incuding an 18-0 run to tie the game and then take the lead. The Hawks two stars, Trae Young and Jalen Johnson spearheaded the offense in the 4th and had great games to get the Hawks a win.

Young finished with 27 points and 13 assists tonight and leading his team to a comeback win was not all that he did, Young eclipsed 11,000 points scored tonight, a tremendous accomplishment for one of the best in the league. Johnson had 30 points and 15 rebounds and De'Andre Hunter continues to make his 6th man of the year case, scoring 25 points tonight. Atlanta shot 52% from the floor and 38% from three tonight.

Chicago had a fantastic night on offense, at least until the final quarter. The Bulls shot 54% from the field and 51% from three tonight and got big nights from Zach LaVine (37 points), Coby White (23 points, and a monster night from Jevon Carter (26 points). The Bulls were unstoppable through three quarters, but the Hawks clamped down in the final six minutes to steal a win.

The Hawks kept with their usual starting lineup of Trae Young, Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher, Jalen Johnson, and Clint Capela.

With no Josh Giddey, the Bulls started Dalen Terry in his place and he was alongside Coby White, Zach LaVine, Patrick Williams, and Nikola Vucevic.

It was a turnover fueled first few minutes, but it hurt the Bulls more than it did the Hawks. Atlanta started the game on a 9-2 run and forced three turnovers. The Hawks defense held Chicago to 1-6 from the field to start, while Atlanta was 4-8. Bulls head coach Bill Donovan called a timeout with 8:23 left in the 1st quarter to try and settle his team down after a poor start.

As they say, basketball is a game of runs and Chicago responded well after the early run from Atlanta. Out of the first timeout, the Bulls proceeded to go on a 21-4 run, fueled by 13 points from Jevon Carter off the bench. Led by Carter, the Bulls grabbed the lead and Quin Snyder had to call a timeout with the Hawks all of a sudden trailing 23-13.

It did not stop there for Carter. He went on to hit his first six three-point attempts and scored 19 points in the opening quarter, nearly outscoring the Hawks himself. Carter led the Bulls to a 33-21 lead at the end of the first quarter and the Bulls were shooting 43% from three compared to 20% (2-10) for Atlanta. Chicago also had 12 fast break points while Atlanta had zero.

It was a better start for the Hawks in the second quarter, thanks to Larry Nance and Jalen Johnson. Nance scored the first eight points of the quarter for the Hawks and he combined with Johnson to score 15 of the Hawks first 18 points of the second quarter. Still, the Hawks defense could not get consistent stops early in the second quarter and they trailed by 10 with 6:08 left in the quarter.

The Hawks would get the lead to under 10 points, but a scoring burst at the end of the quarter from LaVine and some turnovers from Atlanta kept Chicago in front of Atlanta 64-53 at the half.

At the half, the Hawks were shooting 44% from the field and 33% from three. Chicago was 54% from the field and 43% from three. Carter led the Bulls with 19 points, with LaVine scoring 10. Johnson had a first half double-double for the Hawks with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Hunter and Nance each had 10 off the bench.

It was a great start to the quarter on offense for the Hawks. They hit their first six shots, including going 3-3 from three point range and cut the Bulls lead to 79-72 with 7:40 left in the third. The problem was on the defensive end, where Chicago was keeping up with Atlanta to start the third.

The Hawks third quarter tonight was one of their most frustrating of the whole season. They shot the ball well (55% from the field and 46% from three) and scored 38 points, but the bad news was Chicago was even better, especially LaVine. LaVine went on to score 22 points (6-6 from three) for the Bulls, while Chicago as a team shot 62% from the field and 71% from three, scoring 44 points in the quarter. The Hawks trailed 108-91 going into the final quarter of play.

It looked as if the Bulls were going to ease into a win halfway through the fourth. The Hawks had no answers for Chicago on the defensive end and could not generate enough offense to counter it. They trailed by as much as 18 in the quarter and looked like they were heading for defeat.

But the Hawks had other ideas and their main idea was to complete one of the craziest comebacks in the NBA this season.

Atlanta trailed by 17 with 6:30 to go, but Atlanta ended the game on a 31-7 run. After a flagrant foul on LaVine, the Hawks cut it to six and after a Bulls miss, Hunter nailed a three to cut the lead to 126-123. The Hawks got another stop and that led to a Trae Young three-pointer to tie the game 126-126 and the crowd noise went to another level after that play.

It was all Hawks the rest of the way. Daniels got a steal and then Johnson got a dunk for the Hawks to take the lead and then a putback from Johnson on the next possession made it 130-126. Vucevic did hit a three to cut it to one point, but Capela caught a lop and dunked it for the Hawks to get the lead back to three. The Hawks outscored the Bulls 9-4 the rest of the way and sealed the victory, outscoring the Bulls 50-25 in the final quarter.

Atlanta shot 60% from the field and 39% from three in the final quarter, as well as going 15-17 at the free-throw line. They held Chicago to 46% shooting from the field and 38% from three. Johnson and Young combined to score 27 of the Hawks 50 points in the quarter and the team did not allow LaVine or Coby White to get going. Another key stat was the Hawks had zero turnovers in the final quarter. It was one of the most improbable wins of the season for any team in the league and it was one that Atlanta needed, given how tight things are in the standings with the teams surrounding them and the fact that Chicago was missing three key players.

Now the Hawks are 16-15 heading into another big game against the Miami Heat on Saturday. The Heat have had a lot of off the court distractions as of late, but got a win over Orlando tonight. It won't be easy, but the Hawks could use a win before they head out on a long road trip.

They overcame the odds to get it tonight and that could propel them forward.

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Jackson Caudell
JACKSON CAUDELL

Jackson Caudell has been covering Georgia Tech Athletics For On SI since March 2022 and the Atlanta Hawks for On SI since October 2023. Jackson is also the co-host of the Bleav in Georgia Tech podcast and he loves to bring thoughtful analysis and comprehensive coverage to everything that he does. Find him on X @jacksoncaudell

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