A dominant first quarter set the tone Wednesday night for the Chicago Bulls. With an opportunity to play the Miami Heat for the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference on the line, Chicago was on fire from the opening tip. The hosts scored 40 points in the first quarter and held a commanding 18-point lead and ultimately beat Atlanta 131-116.
However, the Atlanta Hawks wouldn’t go down without a fight. The 10-seed responded well in the second quarter and cut Chicago’s lead to six, 73-67, entering halftime.
A Trae Young three-pointer brought the Hawks to within three points with 5:15 remaining in the third quarter, but the Bulls dominated the rest of the way and put the Hawks away for good. Chicago ended the quarter on a 22-7 run and built a 23-point lead in the fourth.
Coby White’s improvement has been a talking point for the Bulls all season and he provided his best game yet last night. Drawing loud chants of ‘Coby’ from the crowd, White poured in a career-high 42 points to go along with nine rebounds and six assists.
Up next, Chicago has an opportunity to avenge last year’s play-in loss to the Heat. With three minutes remaining in last year’s game, the Bulls held a three-point lead — Miami then closed the game on a 15-1 run.
“I remember that plane ride back home vividly, everybody was just frustrated,” DeMar DeRozan said. “That feeling sucked. I know for me that was one thing that was on my mind once I realized we were going back to Miami, not to have that same feeling.”
While the Bulls caught a break with Miami’s Jimmy Butler ruled out due to a knee injury sustained in Miami’s loss to Philadelphia Wednesday night, they will also potentially be shorthanded entering Friday’s pivotal matchup. Guard Alex Caruso sprained his ankle when center Andre Drummond stepped on Caruso’s right foot during the game and his status is currently in doubt.
