DeRozan Goes Off in Bulls 112-108 Win Over Hawks

Recap

It's no secret how the Atlanta Hawks have prioritized the final stretch of the regular season. Coming out of the All-Star Break, tonight's game against the Chicago Bulls was the first test in a pivotal part of the season.

Unfortunately for the Hawks, DeMar DeRozan made sure they flunked that test. The shooting guard's revenge tour against the league continued tonight. DeRozan went off for 37 points.

WATCH YA HEAD 🤯@NBCSChicago | @DeMar_DeRozan pic.twitter.com/gPhcxaEACz
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) February 25, 2022

Meanwhile, the usually effervescent Trae Young had a rare off night. 'Ice Trae' suffered from cold shooting, going 3-17 for 14 points. To make matters worse, De'Andre Hunter left the game early with an illness.

What kept the game close was the exceptional play of Bogdan Bogdanovic and Danilo Gallinari, who scored 27 and 26 points, respectively. With no John Collins, the Hawks front-court played well. Clint Capela had 14 points and 17 rebounds, while Onyeka Okongwu tallied 8 points and 5 assists.

COOK UP BOGI! pic.twitter.com/lMFMwVI8Ej
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) February 25, 2022

Post-Game Interviews

When asked about the final minute of play, Hawks head coach Nate McMillan said, "Too much DeRozan. He's been playing this way all season long. That last play that he made, the and-one, basically, hes' coming down in transition, and we wanted to try to get two on him. But it happened so fast that he was able to get to his spot. Get to his shot, and knock it down."

Trae Young pointed to his lower body after the game. "I was trying to focus on my legs and just couldn't get a shot to go and was pressing it. And every shot I was really thinking about it and not just shooting it, and could feel it. I don't usually have a game like this after the break, but I'll bounce back and I'll shoot better. I'm not worried about it. I'm really mad I let my teammates down because we fought really hard and had a chance to win the game. But when I shoot like that, it's tough for us to win.

Back to his legs, Young noted how many times he fell during the game. "I've had some pain on my right knee, it's like a bruise. I keep falling on it. In the first half, I fell on it after Zach [LaVine] had that bad blocking call, I fell then. I literally kept falling on my hip and my knee. So it was frustrating, but I'll be alright."

The Hawks next game is Saturday night in State Farm Arena against the Toronto Raptors. It's sure to be a special night as the organization will celebrate the legacy and influence of HBCUs. Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's AllHawks.com for breaking news, highlights, and analysis.

Zach LaVine wears an exclusive pair of kicks. The Air Jordan 9 'Cool Grey'.

After being traded before the All-Star Break, Tristan Thompson made his debut for the Chicago Bulls tonight.

Teaming up with Zach LaVine has breathed new life into the career of DeMar DeRozan. The veteran shooting guard is a fringe MVP candidate.

Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young got off to a slow start on offense against the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night.

Atlanta Hawks head coach Nate McMillan has preached about intensity and execution since the season started in October.

Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan has done an excellent job of meshing the new roster pieces together this season.

Stats

Hawks Leaders

Bogdan Bogdanovic - 27 PTS, 5 REB

Danilo Gallianari - 26 PTS, 9 REB

Trae Young - 14 PTS, 10 AST

Bulls Leaders

DeMar DeRozan - 37 PTS, 6 REB

Zach LaVine - 20 PTS, 5 REB

Nikola Vucevic - 12 PTS, 6 REB

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