Takeaways & Player Grades: Chicago Bulls 126, Atlanta Hawks 123

The Chicago Bulls gave their fans an early Christmas present on Wednesday night with their fourth consecutive victory.

Despite falling behind by 18 points, the Bulls were able to keep their heads on straight and put together one of their best fourth quarters of the season. They outscored the Hawks 34-18 in the final frame to secure the win, and they also used this quarter to end the night shooting over 50.0 percent from the field for the fifth time in the last six games.

Let's talk about the 126-123 win!

Takeaways

Same Confidence, Opposite Results

One game after tying the second-highest regulation scoring effort in franchise history, the Chicago Bulls looked a little too confident. They came out firing with five of their first six shots from behind the arc. To be sure, the ball movement was solid, but they looked a little too eager to chuck up triples only two days after scoring 66 points in the paint in the same arena.

By the end of the first quarter, the Bulls were a mere 4-15 from long range. Downtown attempts made up more than half of their field goals in the first 12 minutes, and the Hawks were able to take advantage. They did a better job diversifying their shot selection, shooting 58.0 percent in the opening frame. This included recording 14 assists on their first 15 made field goals. Simply put, they were beating the Bulls at their own game, and this only continued heading into the second quarter.

While the Bulls were at least draining a few more of their downtown attempts, the Hawks were knocking down buckets from all over the court. They were 7-12 in the paint and 4-9 from long range. More importantly, they were feasting on the Bulls' sloppiness. Chicago had seven turnovers alone in the second quarter, helping Atlanta push their lead up to 68-55 heading into the break.

Change in Philosophy

A double-digit lead is never easy to erase, especially against an offense like Atlanta's. The Bulls learned that the hard way on Wednesday night.

To their credit, they made the right adjustment coming out of the locker room. From the jump, they were far more aggressive attacking downhill against this Kristaps Porzingis-less frontcourt. They actually shot 13-15 in the paint throughout the quarter and only tossed up six three-point attempts. The far more efficient effort had the Bulls look a lot more like the offense that had 127+ points in three-straight games.

Nevertheless, their defense couldn't get the stops necessary to make their 37-point scoring effort worth it. The Hawks matched them exactly and continued to penetrate the interior with ease. They were just as successful in the paint with a 9-11 shooting frame. Their continued sloppiness also didn't help, as they added five more turnovers to the board. Josh Giddey had three of those cough-ups, while White had the other two.

Atlanta Hawks Collapse ...

The Hawks had the Bulls right where they wanted them ... until they didn't.

Trae Young and Company couldn't have asked for a worse fourth quarter. They slowly but surely started to lose control of the game, with the tide fully turning about midway through the frame. Up 112-105, Trae Young egged on Ayo Dosunmu, leading to a scuffle where teammates had to intervene. To be sure, Young was having a great night against the Bulls, but this moment seemingly awoke a beast.

While Atlanta would go up double digits again a couple of possessions later, the Bulls were playing with a greater sense of urgency and physicality. They proceeded to go on a 15-2 run to take a 122-119 lead with 39.8 seconds to go. Atlanta failed to register a single field goal for nearly 4 minutes of action. Yes, the Bulls were actually playing defense for once, but they also got lucky with some timely ice-cold play from this Hawks team.

Chicago's change in philosophy led them to end the night with a 64-58 advantage in the paint. They also did a good job capitalizing on their trips to the free throw line in the second half. If it wasn't for this, they wouldn't have been able to make up for their 23-7 deficit in the points off turnover department.

Chicago Bulls Five Player Grades

Nikola Vucevic – A
Stats: 21 PTS, 10 REB, 4 AST

Nikola Vucevic's defense remains problematic, but the big man had one of his better games of the year with a 9-16 shooting display. He also knocked down the most important free throws of the night. All things considered, he did what he needed to do against this Kristaps Porzingis-less Hawks team.

Josh Giddey – B+
Stats: 19 PTS, 15 AST, 11 REB

Why doesn't Josh Giddey earn an A grade for his seventh triple-double of the season, especially when earned with over 8 minutes to go in the third quarter? It's simple. His seven turnovers played a big part in Atlanta building their sizable lead.

Coby White – B+
Stats: 24 PTS, 4 AST, 3 STL

Like his backcourt teammates, Coby White is also just behind an A grade because of his seven turnovers against a relatively weak Atlanta defense. Nevertheless, he had his best scoring night of the year by far with 24 points on just 7-13 shooting. This looked like the old Coby White.

Matas Buzelis – B
Stats: 15 PTS, 2 REB, 1 BLK

All in all, this was a solid showing from Matas Buzelis after two of his best games of the year. He continues to look aggressive on the offensive end, and he had one of his best sequences of the season during the first half. He drained a triple before swatting away Jalen Johnson's shot and finishing a tough and-one at the rim.

Ayo Dosunmu C-
Stats: 6 PTS, 2 REB, 2 AST

I think it's safe to say Ayo Dosunmu isn't his fully-healthy self. The guard just doesn't look too comfortable out there right now, and Billy Donovan continues to limit his minutes. Nevertheless, props to him for bringing some extra attitude to the court! The Bulls fed off his energy after that fourth-quarter scuffle, and Josh Giddey said as much after the game.