The Atlanta Hawks will try to reverse their losing trend against Chicago on Thursday when they host the Bulls for their third meeting of the season.
The Bulls have won the first two meetings against the Hawks this season — 125-113 in Atlanta on Nov. 9 and 136-122 in Chicago on Nov. 22. The Bulls have a three-game winning streak in games played in Atlanta.
Both teams are muddling through the holiday season. Atlanta has won six of its past 10, defeating Minnesota 117-104 on Monday to end a three-game losing streak. Chicago is 5-5 in its past 10 and coming off a 112-91 setback to Milwaukee on Monday.
“(Monday) was a good turnaround,” said Atlanta’s Dyson Daniels. “We have to defend. Defense is a must, and we came locked in for four quarters. The season is going by pretty quick. We’ve played 30 games already and our bodies are feeling pretty good. We need to push our record, get a few more wins on the board.”
Daniels has been one of the team’s pleasant surprises since being acquired from the New Orleans Pelicans in the offseason. The Australian, dubbed “The Great Barrier Thief,” leads the NBA with 3.2 steals per game and had eight steals in Monday’s win over the Timberwolves. He averages 13.0 points (fourth-best on the team), 5.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists.
“It’s just about reading the game, knowing where the ball is going to go and then hacking,” Daniels said. “I just be hacking.”
The Hawks also benefited from the return of Trae Young, who missed the previous game against Memphis with a bruised heel. Young scored 10 of his 29 points against Minnesota in the first quarter. The team has struggled to find someone to direct the offense when Young is not on the floor; he leads the league with an average of 12.0 assists.
“We wanted to come out with a different energy, different attitude,” Young said.
The Bulls are second in the NBA in 3-point shooting attempts, putting up an average of 44.0 per game. They’ve connected on 36.3 percent of them, although Coby White is shooting just 27.8 percent (20-for-72) on 3-pointers over the past nine games.
“I get cold, but I ain’t never got cold like this, for as many games as it’s been,” White said. “I maybe had two or three game or four (game stretches) and then kind of get hot and get back in rhythm. I’m a career 38-39 percent 3-point shooter, so it will all even out. I ain’t worried about it.”
Leading scorer Zach LaVine (21.7 points) expressed his support for White.
“Coby plays hard every game. I don’t think that messes with his mindset at all. I think we’ll all be OK.”
The Bulls have been without Josh Giddey (11.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 6.9 assists) for the past three games because of a sprained right ankle. Chicago also played the last game without Lonzo Ball, who was out with a non-COVID illness.
Atlanta has been missing versatile reserve Bogdan Bogdanovic, who missed the past game with a lower leg bruise, and backup center Onyeka Okongwu, who is out with left knee soreness.
