Takeaways From Atlanta's 113-101 Win Over the Chicago Bulls

Jackson Caudell | Apr 2, 2024

Apr 1, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Vit Krejci (27) drives to the basket / Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

The Hawks really needed to win last night vs Chicago and that is what they did. Atlanta overcame a slow start in the first few minutes of the game to dominate the rest of the way vs the Bulls. Atlanta never really had to sweat last night and now they are only a half-game behind the Bulls for the No. 9 spot in the Eastern Conference. That might not seem like a big deal, but if Atlanta ends up at No. 10, that would mean that they would have to win two road games just to get into the playoffs. It was a very good win for Atlanta and a very consistent effort from start to finish. 

So what are the biggest takeaways from last night's win?

1. Vit Krejci continues to show improvement...

The only sentence I would need to say to convince you of Vit Krejci's improvement is that the Hawks don't win their first matchup vs the Celtics or last night's game vs the Bulls without him. Last Monday, Krejci scored 13 points in the third quarter of the big comeback vs Boston, but he played his best game last night. 

Krejci scored 18 points and was 6-6 from three. He went 5-5 in the first half and was one of the Hawks's best threats on offense. It has been an up-and-down experience with Krejci in the starting lineup, there are some nights he does not contribute much, but he has shown the ability to be a real three-point threat and has made strides defensively. It is one of the silver linings of what has been a tough season for Atlanta. 

CALL HIM VIT CLARK 🌽

5-5 from 3 in the first half 💰💰💰💰💰 pic.twitter.com/U6tgkjfp5X

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) April 2, 2024

2. The Hawks defense played one of its best quarters last night...

Atlanta led by eight going into the half, but the third quarter is where they would win the game. The three-point shooting might be the biggest reason that the Hawks won last night, but they played one of their best defensive quarters of the season last night in the third quarter. They held the Bulls to just 21 points on 8-28 (29%) shooting from the field and 2-9 (22%) from three. Guys were not missing their rotations and played a lot better on that end of the floor than most nights. It also helps that Chicago is a bad offense, but Atlanta had an excellent quarter defensively in the third. 

3. The three-point shooting difference was the Hawks's biggest advantage...

In almost every game, if you hit 12 more three-point shots than the opposing team, then you are going to win unless something disastrous happens. Atlanta shot well in every quarter except the fourth and never let the Bulls back in the game. Atlanta finished the game 19-40 (48%) from three and Krejci, Dejounte Murray, and Garrison Matthews were all lethal from three last night. Atlanta has shown the ability to be one of the better three-point shooting teams in the NBA and it was the biggest difference in why they won the game last night.