Connection issues on long-distance shots cost Bulls
The Bulls are falling apart one category at a time.
On Friday against Atlanta, they went 0-for-10 from 3-point range, snapping a streak of 262 games with at least one 3-pointer, according to Comcast SportsNet.
Playing without center Joakim Noah, the Bulls' losing streak grew to three games after a rough fourth quarter led to a 91-81 loss to the Hawks at Philips Arena. The Bulls are planning to keep Noah out of the lineup through next weekend's all-star break because of a sore left foot.
In a loss at Philadelphia on Wednesday, the Bulls didn't get any blocked shots, even though they lead the league in that category. Now they'll finish a busy week by returning to the United Center to face Miami, which has lost four in a row but had Friday off.
"We wasted, I thought, a pretty good effort," coach Vinny Del Negro told reporters after the game. "They got some offensive rebounds and they made us pay for it. Then we got a little stagnant offensively and they locked up on us pretty good defensively in the fourth quarter."
The Bulls (23-25) headed into the fourth quarter with a 70-64 lead after a seven-second flurry to end the third. Taj Gibson finished a dunk off a pass from Devin Brown, then Tyrus Thomas made a backcourt steal and lay in.
But Atlanta turned up the defensive pressure and the Bulls shot a miserable 5-for-18 from the field (27.8 percent) in the final 12 minutes.
The fourth quarter opened with a 16-2 run by the Hawks. The home team took a 72-70 lead when Al Horford finished a cutting lay in. After John Salmons hit a jumper to tie the game, the Bulls missed badly on 4 straight long jumpers and Atlanta used another 8-0 surge to go ahead 80-72 with 4:52 remaining.
"They just caught on fire," Derrick Rose said. "We had them. They were just making some tough shots."
The Bulls got back within 81-78 with 3:33 left after Kirk Hinrich hit a jumper. But Atlanta answered with a 20-footer from Joe Johnson, then Mike Bibby canned a corner 3-pointer after the Hawks grabbed a pair of offensive rebounds to make it 86-78 with 2:10 left.
"They tied it up quick and got us back on our heels a little bit," Del Negro added. "Then too many offensive rebounds, too many second shots. We weren't able to put any offensive pressure on them."
Luol Deng led the Bulls with 20 points, while Rose added 19 points and 6 assists. With Brad Miller starting in Noah's place, the Bulls collected just 8 points off the bench.
Josh Smith had a triple-double for Atlanta (32-17), finishing with 18 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists. Johnson scored 18 for the Hawks, while ex-Bulls Jamal Crawford added 17.
Richard signs on: With Joakim Noah sidelined for at least four games with plantar fascitis in his left foot, the Bulls signed 6-9 Chris Richard to a 10-day contract Friday.
Richard, a former Florida teammate of Noah, spent preseason with the Bulls. Since then, he'd been playing for the Tulsa 66ers in the D-League. Richard was in uniform Friday, but he did not play.