Zach LaVine and the Chicago Bulls failed to extend their win streak to three games after they suffered a 123-105 home loss to the Atlanta Hawks. It was a letdown performance for the Bulls, one that was made more disappointing by the fact that they were coming off a huge 128-107 win against the Memphis Grizzlies last Sunday.
The expectation was that the Bulls would put up a much better performance after a morale-boosting victory versus a legitimate title contender, but that simply was not the case Tuesday night against the Hawks.
“I just think they wanted it more than us,” Zach LaVine said after the meeting with Atlanta, per K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago.
Chicago also played the Hawks on a night that Atlanta did not have Trae Young due to a non-COVID illness. With Young out, the Hawks leaned on the hot hands of Bogdan Bogdanovic, who scored 26 points on 9-for-15 shooting. As a team, the Hawks stuffed the listless Chicago defense for a 55.8 percent shooting from the field.
Zach LaVine paced the Bulls with 26 points to go with six assists and three rebounds in 33 minutes, while DeMar DeRozan added 21 points, four rebounds, and two assists.
Although the Bulls have already locked up a spot in the Play-in Tournament, they still could have boosted their chances for a better seed in that tourney. Being a No. 9 or No. 10 seed would in the Play-in Tournament means that a team with either of those seeds will have a must-win scenario right away.