Too Much LaVine & DeRozan. Bulls Defeat Hawks 130-118
Recap
Sure, the Bulls won tonight. However, Hawks fans are still on cloud nine, or at least cloud eight. A little over an hour before tip-off, we received news that Trae Young had cleared NBA Health & Safety Protocols. Young was able to produce two negative tests 24 hours apart.
As for the game itself, the Bulls reminded the basketball world why they have the second-best record in the Eastern Conference. Of course, everyone knows about their formidable defense, but tonight they won it by outscoring a hot Hawks team.
The Bulls shot 54.8% from the field and 48.6% from behind the arc. With head coach Billy Donovan and starting point guard Lonzo Ball joining their long list of inactive personnel, the team looked to their big three more than ever. DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Nikola Vucevic scored a combined 89 points on 56% shooting.
The Hawks, who were far from prepared for this game (through no fault of the coaches or players) put forth a good effort. Yet again, big minutes were played by free agents and G-Leaguers. Chaundee Brown signed with the Hawks at 10:00 AM this morning and started in tonight's game.
With less than an hour before tip-off, Trae Young took off his mask and sprinted out onto the court. His energy and enthusiasm were clear by the massive grin on his face. If you were expecting 'Ice Trae' to come out rusty, then you were sadly mistaken. Instead, we got another classic 29 points and 9 assists performance.
Cam Reddish was the only player who could somehow upstage Young tonight. The third-year player put up one of the best games of his young career. Reddish scored 33 points and knocked down 8-13 three-pointers. Brace yourself for a blizzard of Bleacher Report trade proposals and anonymously-sourced articles surrounding Reddish.
Post-Game Interviews
After the game, Hawks coach Nate McMillan said, "I thought we played with energy, I thought we played with urgency. Their big three seemed like everything they threw up went in. And they do a good job of executing, spacing the floor. When they see double-teams, they get the ball out."
Fans weren't the only ones that felt exasperated by some of the shots going in for the Bulls. McMillan said, "It seemed like every time, they would stop that momentum with a made bucket."
When asked what he wanted to see differently defensively, McMillan said, "Some of the balls not go in. It's just really tough when you have DeRozan on one wing, and you're trying to get the ball out of his hands, and the ball is rotated to LaVine on the other side. So it's like pick your poison."
Trae Young took to the podium clad in a velvet navy Adidas hoodie and a tan baseball cap was still sporting a smile. "It feels great just to be playing basketball. I've been up in the house and just chillin'. It feels great to be playing basketball again, so that's all I'm appreciative of."
When asked about his quarantine and time away from the team, Young said, "It was tough. It was tough just being at home, not doing anything, watching and wishing I was out there to help my team - especially on Christmas and the game before that."
Cam Reddish was unaware that his point guard was even cleared to play. "I didn't even hear. I was just kind of hanging out, he walked in, so 'Oh we got Trae tonight, that's exciting.' So definitely good to have him back while we try to get that rhythm and stuff back. He had a hell of a game, but it was good to have him back."
The Hawks and the Bulls run it back on Wednesday night in Chi-Town. With a bit of luck, the Hawks should have more players out of the Health & Safety Protocols by that time. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's AllHawks.com for breaking news, highlights, and analysis.
Stats
Hawks Leaders
Cam Reddish - 33 PTS, 4 REB
Trae Young - 29 PTS, 9 REB
Bogdan Bogdanovic - 20 PTS, 4 REB
Bulls Leaders
DeMar DeRozan - PTS, REB
Zach LaVine - PTS, REB
Nikola Vucevic - PTS, REB
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