The Chicago Bulls defeated the Atlanta Hawks by a score of 91-86 on Thursday at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The Bulls finally won their first game of the season after losing a tightly contested game with Cleveland the other day. Jerian Grant did a great job as the floor general for the Bulls. He contributed 11 points, four rebounds, seven assists, and two steals.
Belinelli hits five three-pointers
Marco Belinelli was on fire from deep against the Atlanta Hawks. He contributed 23 points, two rebounds, two assists and one steal in 30 minutes.
He shot 50 percent from the field, 55.6 percent from the three-point line, and 100 from the free throw line. With Dennis Schroder still out, the Hawks badly needed a go-to guy offensively. Belinelli responded by hitting five three-pointers, but it still was not enough to defeat the Chicago Bulls.
Atlanta could not get rebounds
The Hawks had a hard time getting rebounds against the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls were able to outrebound the Hawks 62-40, Chicago got 18 offensive boards while Hawks only got seven. Despite the Hawks and Bulls shooting at the same percentage, the Bulls were able to get the win because of how hard they crashed the boards.
DeWayne Dedmon and Mike Muscala were able to grab 10 rebounds each, but Denzel Valentine, Lauri Markkanen, Robin Lopez, Justin Holiday, and David Nwaba all got eight or more rebounds for the Bulls.
The Hawks will need to try harder on getting rebounds in order for them to have a chance of winning games in the NBA.
The Bulls had three players who got a double-double
The Chicago Bulls had an outstanding game against the Hawks as three of their players recorded a double-double. Lauri Markanned contributed 14 points, 12 rebounds, and one assist.
David Nwaba also contributed 15 points and 11 rebounds in just 32 minutes.
Justin Holiday also had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. It was very impressive that out of the three players who got a double-double, two of them were guards. After a rocky start to the NBA season, the Bulls seems to be getting better by getting their first win.
Robin Lopez scores 16 points
Robin Lopez led the Bulls in scoring against the Hawks with 16. Along with scoring, he also contributed eight rebounds, four assists, and two blocks in 36 minutes. Lopez will continue to be the veteran leader for the Bulls both on and off the court this season. The Bulls are currently in full rebuild mode after trading away Jimmy Butler in the offseason
