Bulls make massive defensive improvement, beat Hawks
The Bulls may have pulled off the greatest 24-hour defensive improvement in NBA history.
On Friday night, the Bulls were a team of turnstiles while giving up 135 points in a loss at Charlotte.
On Saturday, they managed to shave 50 points off the opposing score and beat the Atlanta Hawks 97-85 at State Farm Arena to record their second win of the season.
The Hawks are far from playoff contenders, but the 85 points was the third-lowest point total in an NBA game during this high-scoring season, so the Bulls must have been doing something right.
Whether they can keep this up Monday when the Golden State Warriors visit the United Center - well, that's doubtful. But missing three starters due to injuries, any sort of success is helpful.
"I saw our guys this morning and they didn't like how last night went," Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg told reporters after the game. "They watched the film session, they were embarrassed. I could see it in their eyes that they were going to come out with a good effort tonight."
The Bulls (2-4) are sending plenty of inexperienced players on the floor, but it's already clear they can be halfway decent defensively if they're just engaged and aggressive on the defensive end. They have plenty of young, athletic guys who can cover some ground.
"I thought we did a good job of making them take contested shots," Hoiberg said. "I feel like our guys were flying all over the place, going from assignment to assignment, making multiple effort plays and that's what it's all about."
Bulls guard Zach LaVine got his first heavy dose of seeing double teams. He finished with 27 points and 11 assists, but also nearly completed an unwanted triple-double with 9 turnovers.
"That's OK. If you draw two and space the floor properly, you should get a shot on the backside," Hoiberg said. "Zach, the way he's scoring the ball right now, he's probably going to see some double teams. We've just got to make sure we're in the right spots when that happens."
The Bulls led the entire fourth quarter, getting a huge boost from their 3-point shooting. As a team, the Bulls went 7-for-10 from long range in the final 12 minutes, while Justin Holiday and Jabari Parker each went 3-for-3.
Atlanta closed within 80-78 with 6:12 remaining after 41-year-old Vince Carter nailed a 3-pointer to cap a 8-0 run. But during the next 1:20, Holiday, Parker (18 points) and Holiday again knocked down 3-pointers to put the game away.
Backup guard Ryan Arcidiacono contributed a career-high 13 points, to go with 7 assists. The former Villanova star played the entire fourth quarter as Hoiberg stuck with the hot hand.
Rookie center Wendell Carter Jr., playing his first NBA game in his hometown of Atlanta, produced his first double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. He played just 22 minutes on Saturday as Hoiberg went with Cristiano Felicio late in the game.
Twitter: @McGrawDHBulls