Morning Box Score: Bulls Win One They Shouldn't Have
By Chuck Sudo in News on Jan 4, 2012 2:30PM
The Atlanta Hawks were the better team last night through the first three periods. But that's why the NBA plays a full 48 minutes, because the Bulls came to life in the final period and roared back from a 19-point deficit to defeat the Hawks. Derrick Rose scored 17 of his 30 points in the fourth. Rose also factored into the game winning layup by Luol Deng. With everyone at the United Center expecting the ball to be in Rose's hands for the final shot, the ball was inbounded instead to Joakim Noah, who found a streaking Deng for a perfectly executed pick-and-roll.
Deng finished with 21 points. Atlanta was led by Al Horford with 16 points while Josh Smith added 15 points and 14 rebounds. Had Atlanta shot better from the field, the Bulls could have easily lost this game. The 5-1 Bulls now head to Detroit to take on the Pistons tonight. (6:30 p.m., CSN, WMVP-AM 1000)