Atlanta Hawks

Atlanta Hawks: Takeaways From Shocking Win Over Bulls

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 11:37 p.m. ET

Fansided, Andrew Snyder/FanSided via Soaring Down South

Jan 25, 2017; Chicago, IL, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Kent Bazemore (24) dribbles the ball against Chicago Bulls guard Rajon Rondo (9) during the first half at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

The Atlanta Hawks clawed back from a large deficit to beat the Chicago Bulls. What stood out from the win?

I don’t know what to do with my hands. Sometimes a sporting event leaves you speechless and unable to comprehend what you just saw. Last night’s Hawks/Bulls game falls into that category. I’m still not sure it actually happened.

The Atlanta Hawks have played some exciting games this season, but this win over Chicago might have been the most exciting. The Hawks trailed by 10 points with three minutes left in the game. Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade couldn’t miss for Chicago. The game seemed over.

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Atlanta then used a 19-4, sparked by Paul Millsap and Dennis Schroder, to win 119-114. If you sat in your living room staring at your television in stunned silence nobody could blame you. It was a shocking victory. At one point during the comeback, Atlanta hit a three-pointer on three consecutive possessions.

With the score at 110-100 Chicago, Millsap knocked down a three-pointer to trim Chicago’s lead to seven points. After a defensive stop, Schroder followed with a three-pointer of his own. The Bulls lead was down to four.

The next possession, Tim Hardaway Jr. knocked down a three. After yet another defensive stop, a Dennis Schroder layup finally gave Atlanta the lead. The Hawks would go on to close the game out and win, 119-114.

Victory clutched from the jaws of defeat. It was improbable, unthinkable, and just flat out insane. Let’s take a look at some of the things that stood out from a wild night of basketball.

Jan 25, 2017; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Dwyane Wade (3) dribbles the ball against the Atlanta Hawks during the second half at the United Center. Atlanta defeats Chicago 119-114. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

The Stars Were Out For Chicago

The Chicago Bulls did not lose this game because of Jimmy Butler or Dwyane Wade. They are completely blameless. If they had taken a few more shots in crunch-time, the Bulls probably win this game. There were some questionable decisions made my teammates during the last few minutes that I’m sure will get discussed in the film room this week.

Buter and Wade played like the stars they are. Wade may be past his prime, but he can still conjure up a vintage Wade performance every once and awhile. He finished with 33 points and five rebounds on 14-for-24 shooting, looking like the 2006 version of himself.

Butler was even better, finishing with 40 points on 13-for-22 shooting, 4-for-8 from three-point range, and 10-for-10 from the free-throw line. He was unstoppable. Kent Bazemore and Thabo Sefolosha spent time trying to slow him down, but it was to no avail.

It’s not like Atlanta was playing poor defense. The degree of difficulty on some of these makes from Wade and Butler were off the charts. They hit every shot in the book. Contested threes? Check. Contested mid-range jumpers? Check. Shots at the rim? Check. The list goes on.

They were very upset with their young teammates after the game, questioning whether or not they cared enough about losing.

It has no doubt been a frustrating season for both Wade and Butler. Wade didn’t come to Chicago to live out the twilight of his career on a losing team. He came to Chicago to build a winner in his hometown. That doesn’t look like it’s going to happen, not with the roster they have constructed.

Butler is in the same boat. He’s just entering the prime of his career. Is he going to spend is best days on a team with ill-fitting pieces and a lackluster front office? These two deserve better from the organization.

Jan 25, 2017; Chicago, IL, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap (4) dribbles the ball against Chicago Bulls guard Jerian Grant (2) during the first half at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

Millsap And Schroder Shine When It Matters Most

The Hawks don’t win this game if Dennis Schroder and Paul Millsap don’t will them to victory. When the chips were down, these two rose to the occasion. Millsap hit shot after shot in the fourth quarter when it looked like the Bulls were going to pull away. He then knocked down the three-pointer that sparked their 19-4 run.

Millsap ended his night with 21 points, six rebounds, and two assists on 8-for-14 shooting and 3-for-5 from three-point range. Schroder led the Hawks in scoring with 24 points and nine assists on 7-for-15 shooting and 4-for-6 from three-point distance.

In last week’s contest, the Bulls couldn’t stop Schroder’s penetration. He got into the lane whenever he wanted, leading to points for himself and the rest of the Hawks. That continued Wednesday night, especially in the fourth quarter.

This is how you re-take the lead! pic.twitter.com/56BqZjygZb

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) January 26, 2017

Schroder talked to the media about the comeback after the game.

“It’s big-time,” Schroder said. “You can see the difference. If we play lazy, don’t play with pace and just play sloppy we go down 15, 10, 20. But if we play with our pace, we can beat everyone. We’ve got to do a better job of playing for 48 minutes, doing it day-in, day-out every game.”

He makes an interesting point. The Hawks definitely played a sloppy first half. They looked tired, as they should. Their schedule has been unrelenting of late. Somehow they pulled themselves together just in time to pull off an exhilarating comeback.

Jan 4, 2017; Orlando, FL, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Tim Hardaway Jr. (10) points against the Orlando Magic during the second half at Amway Center. Atlanta Hawks defeated the Orlando Magic 111-92. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Hawks Heat Up From Outside

We’ve discussed three-point shooting at great detail on Soaring Down South. For most of the season, the Hawks have been a very bad team when it comes to outside shooting. Wednesday night they looked like the 2014-15 Hawks. When everything else was going wrong, their three-point shooting kept them in the game.

Atlanta finished 17-for-30 from behind the arc. In case you weren’t a math major in college, that’s 56.7 percent. When you take 30 threes and make over half of them you’ll usually win. That’s my unscientific assessment.

Paul Millsap made three, Dennis Schroder made four, Thabo Sefolosha made three, Kent Bazemore made two, Tim Hardaway Jr. made four, and Mike Dunleavy Jr. made one. That’s a lot of three-pointers. If the Hawks shot like this every game they’d be a top two seed in the Eastern Conference (probably not, but it sounds good).

The most important three-pointers came during the beginning of Atlanta’s 19-4 run that closed out the game. Three three-pointers on three consecutive possessions trimmed Chicago’s lead from 10 points to one point in just over one minute of action. I’m still not sure it actually happened. Okay, I just re-watched it. It definitely happened.

Jan 13, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Kent Bazemore (24) reacts to a play in the third quarter of their game against the Boston Celtics at Philips Arena. The Celtics won 103-101. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

Another Solid Performance From Kent Bazemore

Don’t look now, but Kent Bazemore seems to be breaking out of his season long slump. Bazemore was extremely solid against the Bulls. He scored 16 points, dished seven assists, and grabbed six rebounds. He shot 7-for-14 from the field and 2-for-4 from the three-point line.

It was a well-rounded performance that showed exactly what Bazemore can be at his best. He attacked the rim, made open threes, and served as secondary play-maker. Sure, Wade and Butler went supernova on him at times, but it wasn’t because of his defensive effort. Those guys just made tough shots.

A+ BAZE GAZE AFTER AN A+ WIN! #TrueToAtlanta pic.twitter.com/hF6sAc0tWT

— FOX Sports: Hawks (@HawksOnFSSE) January 26, 2017

Over his last ten games Bazemore is averaging 13.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists on 44 percent shooting. That may not seem like much, but it’s a sign of progress. He’s finally turning things around after a difficult start to the season.

The Hawks have their sights set on making noise in the playoffs this season. To do that they’ll need Bazemore to be at his best. It looks like he’s ready to do that at a consistent level.

Jan 4, 2017; Orlando, FL, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Dennis Schroder (17) smiles during the second quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

What’s Next?

The win over Chicago brings Atlanta’s record to 27-19 this season. They remain 4th in the Eastern Conference, trailing the Boston Celtics by a half game for the 3rd seed. They only trail Toronto by one game for the 2nd seed and Cleveland by four games for the 1st seed. Things are tightening up in the Eastern Conference!

Friday, they’ll take on the team that’s hot on their heels. The Washington Wizards come to Atlanta for an intense Southeast Division battle. At 25-20, they’re not the same team that started the season looking like a mess. With John Wall leading the charge, they’re one of the hottest teams in the NBA.

It should be an interesting test for the Hawks.