RECAP: Hawks Defense Falls Apart in Second Half of 136-122 Loss to Chicago Bulls in NBA Cup

Atlanta is now 7-10 this season and 2-1 in NBA Cup play after a tough loss to Chicago

Nov 22, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (0) shoots against Atlanta Hawks guard Kobe Bufkin (4) during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

The Hawks came into tonight's game vs the Bulls in first place of East Group C in the NBA Cup and they controlled their own destiny to get to Las Vegas and into the next round. However, they left Chicago tonight with their first loss in the NBA Cup and their third loss in the last four games.

Atlanta lost to Chicago 136-122 tonight and it was more of the same for the Hawks. They struggled mightily in the first half on offense and then collapsed in the second half on defense. Atlanta remains consistently inconsistent and seemingly incapable of putting together a complete game.

In the first half, Atlanta shot 43% from the field and 27% from three, but only trailed by seven because they were playing very good defense. That changed in the second half.

In the third quarter alone, Chicago shot 75% from the floor and went 6-11 (55%) from three. They outscored the Hawks 41-33 in the quarter and led by 15 going into the final quarter.

The 4th quarter was no different. Chicago stayed red hot from three, shooting 8-14 in the quarter and while the Hawks offense was fine, it did not matter. To put into context the three point disparity in this game, Atlanta hit 10 three pointers in the game and the Bulls hit 14 in the second half alone. There have been several games this year already where the Hawks have been outshot from three by a large margin and that again was a key in their defeat. The Bulls never had to sweat in the 4th quarter and won 136-122.

Trae Young had a solid game tonight, scoring 25 points and handing out 13 assists, but a lot of that scoring came in the second half when the game was out of reach.

This was probably the worst game of the season for Dyson Daniels. He shot 3-14 from the field and scored eight points and while he did have three steals, his defensive impact was not felt tonight.

Zaccharie Risacher had a pretty poor night. He only played 16 minutes and scored four points.

Jalen Johnson was a bright spot for the Hawks, scoring 25 points on 10-19 shooting, grabbing 13 rebounds and handing out five assists. He did not have a huge impact in the second half, but it was a good game from Johnson.

Clint Capela had a big scoring night, finishing with 21 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.

De'Andre Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanovic combined for 30 points and Bogdanovic had 16 points and went 4-8 from three, but the rest of the bench was pretty poor for the Hawks. Onyeka Okongwu, Kobe Bufkin, Vit Krejci, and Garrison Matthews combined for nine points, though Matthews and Krejci did not play much.

The Hawks actually won the turnover battle in this game, but lost due to the three point shooting disparity and a poor offensive start.

Let's recap tonight's game.

The Hawks kept their starting lineup the same. Trae Young, Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher, Jalen Johnson, and Clint Capela were the starters for the Hawks.

With Patrick Williams out, the Bulls first five was Josh Giddey, Coby White, Zach LaVine, Ayo Dosunmu, and Nikola Vucevic.

In Wednesday's loss to the Warriors, Atlanta struggled mightily on on offense. They generated some good looks, but did not shoot the ball well and that is how the game started tonight.

Right out of the gate, the only Hawks that could get any baskets was Capela, who scored eight of the Hawks first 11 points and hit his first four field goals. He converted the easy looks, but nobody else on the team could, especially from three. Chicago jumped out to a 17-11 lead and the Hawks went to the bench for the first time. Bogdan Bogdanovic and De'Andre Hunter were the first two off the bench and the Hawks immediately went on an 8-0 run and took the lead 19-17 with Bogdanovic hitting a three to get it started, which was a welcome sight.

CC already up to 10 points 🔥 pic.twitter.com/HQyVZMIGFW

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) November 23, 2024

Neither offense could get anything going in the first quarter, especially from three, but it was Chicago who led after the first 28-25. The Hawks shot 44% from the field and 17% from three while Chicago shot 52% from the field and 20% from three.

The Hawks went with a nine-man rotation tonight. Kobe Bufkin and Oneyka Okongwu joined Hunter and Bogdanovic as the players Atlanta was using off the bench.

Both offenses just continued to struggle. Seven minutes in to the quarter, the Hawks were outscoring the Bulls, but only 16-15. In different games this season, the Hawks have had a hard time with turnovers and the first half was like that. Atlanta committed nine turnovers in the first half and the only saving grace was that Chicago was just as bad and they also committed nine turnovers.

Things started to slowly snowball on the Hawks late in the first half. Head coach Quin Snyder got a technical foul for arguing with the officials and the Hawks were either turning the ball over or missing open shots in the first half. Jalen Johnson was the only real source of offense for the Hawks in the first half and he finished with 13 points and nine rebounds, nearly totaling a double-double.

After Hunter fouled Coby White to give him a three-point play, it looked like the Hawks were going to be down 11 heading into the locker for halftime, but they got a three from Johnson and a layup from Young to make the deficit only seven points and the score was 58-51 at the half.

Atlanta shot 43% from the field, 27% from three, and had nine turnovers in the first half. Johnson led the way with 13 points and nine rebounds and Capela had 11 points and five rebounds. They were the only players in double digits in the first half.

While the Hawks main problem in the first half was the offense, that changed in the second half. The Hawks offense found some life, but their defense took a nose dive. Atlanta has been the worst team in the NBA when it comes to defending the three point line and the second half, it was on full display.

The closest that the Hawks got the game was nine points, but Chicago consistently stayed ahead. In the third quarter alone, Chicago shot 75% from the floor and went 6-11 (55%) from three. They outscored the Hawks 41-33 in the quarter and led by 15 going into the final quarter.

The 4th quarter was no different. Chicago stayed red hot from three, shooting 8-14 in the quarter and while the Hawks offense was fine, it did not matter. To put into context the three point disparity in this game, Atlanta hit 10 three pointers in the game and the Bulls hit 14 in the second half alone. There have been several games this year already where the Hawks have been outshot from three by a large margin and that again was a key in their defeat. The Bulls never had to sweat in the 4th quarter and won 136-122.

Atlanta is now 2-1 in the NBA Cup and to advance to the next stage, they are going to need a win over Cleveland and a loss by Chicago. Overall this season, they are 7-10 and ended up going 1-3 on their road trip. They are back at home on Monday night against the Dallas Mavericks.