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Atlanta drops to 0-4 in Summer League with 103-99 loss to Chicago

Atlanta drops to 0-4 in Summer League with 103-99 loss to Chicago

The Hawks were without their No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher again tonight, but they found a way to hang with the Chicago Bulls. Just like Wednesday’s game against the Lakers, the Hawks lost a close game at the end and now they go into tomorrow’s Summer League finals against the Knicks with an 0-4 record.

It wasn’t a great start for the Hawks, as they trailed by double digits in the first half, but they had a great third quarter and carried that momentum into the fourth. There were chances to eventually win the game, but the Hawks couldn’t capitalize on them.

It was another great performance from Keaton Wallace, who had 22 points. Windler had 17 points on 4-7 shooting and Jonathan Bowden had a very good game off the bench with 18 points. The Hawks shot 50% from the field and 46% from three.

DJ Steward had a great performance for the Bulls, scoring 35 points while shooting 8-14 from three. Julian Phillips had 17 points, Adama Sanogo had 17 points and nine rebounds, and Matas Buzelis had 11 points off the bench despite shooting 4-17 from the field.

The big problem for the Hawks in this loss was the turnovers. Atlanta committed 26 turnovers compared to the Bulls 19 and despite shooting well from the field, that can be pointed to as the reason for the loss.

Let’s recap tonight’s match.

This was the lineup for the Hawks tonight against Chicago.

G-Keaton Wallace

G-Dylan Windler

F- Moses Wood

F-EJ Liddell

C- Rob Bakker

Against the Lakers on Wednesday, the Hawks trailed 12-2 at the start of the game, and tonight they followed a similar pattern. Chicago started 12-4 with six points from Adama Sonogo, and then Wallace hit a three-pointer to make it 12-7. A pair of three-pointers later, Chicago had an 18-7 lead at the game’s first timeout with 5:08 left in the first quarter. Wallace had five of the Hawks’ first seven points.

It looked like the Bulls would pull away early, but the Hawks went on a 10-2 run to end the quarter and trailed only 24-17 at the end of the first quarter. Wallace led the Hawks with five points as Atlanta shot 41% from the field and 22% from three. Chicago shot 41% from the field and 36% from three. DJ Steward and Adama Sanogo combined for 20 of the Bulls’ 24 points in the first quarter.

The Bulls remained in control in the second quarter, despite several attempts by the Hawks to get back into it with runs. With the Bulls up 44-30 with just a few minutes left in the second half, the Hawks went on a 7-0 run to cut the lead to seven points, but Chicago responded quickly. For Atlanta, Wallace was the only player who could do anything on offense. The Bulls had Sanogo, Steward, Julian Phillips and Matas Buzelis scoring for them. Chicago led 58-42 at halftime.

Wallace was the only player for the Hawks in double figures with 10 points and the Hawks shot 50% from the field and 40% from three. The big difference in this game in the first half was the turnover differential. Atlanta committed 13 turnovers compared to Chicago’s six.

The Bulls shot 50 percent from the field and 45 percent from three. Steward had 14 points and four assists, Sanogo had 14 points and five rebounds, and Phillips had 12 points. Buzelis, the No. 11 pick in this year’s draft, scored nine points off the bench.

On Wednesday the Hawks had a huge third quarter where they shot the ball well and that is how they started the third quarter tonight against the Bulls. Early in the quarter the Bulls got the lead up to 21 but the Hawks had a run in them. Atlanta went on a 12-2 run to make it 65-54 and eventually got the lead under ten at the 5:20 mark in the third quarter. The third quarter run in this game was sparked by Windler and Jonathan Bowden off the bench. It was good to see Bowden bounce back from a tough game against the Lakers on Wednesday.

The Hawks cut the lead to 75-68 late in the third period with both Windler (14) and Bowden (10) in double figures. This despite the fact that the Hawks still had a major problem with turnovers, with the Hawks leading by more than 20.

Atlanta finally took the lead in the fourth quarter of the game, with a 15-1 run by the Hawks interrupted by a poster dunk from Nick Ongenda.

After a rough first half, the Hawks got going and had all the momentum in the game, but the Bulls wouldn’t go away. It was a tight back-and-forth between the two teams, with the Bulls leading by two 89-87 with 2:35 left in the game.

After the timeout, Steward hit a three to give him 31 points. The Hawks then gave the ball away, but were able to stop it. Windler hit a three to make it 92-90, and then the Bulls lost the ball due to a backcourt violation. Windler attempted a three to take the lead, but missed, but the Hawks were saved when Chicago committed an offensive foul with 57.7 seconds left.

The Hawks had a chance to tie or take the lead, but Wallace committed an offensive foul, leading to another basket by Steward to extend the Bulls’ lead to 94-90. After that basket, Wallace hit a three to cut the lead to one and then Steward missed a basket, giving the Hawks a great chance to take the lead. They took advantage when Bowden hit a three to take the lead with 4.5 seconds left. It looked like the go-ahead basket to win the game for the Hawks.

The Hawks fouled on the ensuing possession and Steward made two free throws to tie the game. Atlanta had a great chance to score at the buzzer, but they missed and the game went to overtime.

The rules for overtime in Summer League are different. The first team to score seven or more points wins the game, so the first team to 103 points was the winner. The Bulls and Hawks both scored three points on their first possessions, and then Buzelis made two free throws. Chicago needed just one more basket to win the game. After Atlanta missed, Chicago took a timeout to set up something to try and win. They gave Steward the ball, and he made the basket, and the Bulls won. The Hawks were down 0-4 in Summer League with just one game left.