As the Chicago Bulls take on the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday, a frantic competition for position in the Eastern Conference play-in race continues.
Atlanta (39-39) is eighth in the East with four regular-season games remaining, one game behind 10th-place Chicago.
The Bulls (38-40) are four games clear of their closest follower for the last spot in the play-in, however not yet authoritatively part of the field. Whether Orlando Magic wins or loses, Chicago can join the crowd.
Because the Bulls would tie Atlanta in the season-series tiebreaker, a victory over the Hawks would be especially significant.
Subsequent to retaining a 123-122 extra time misfortune at Atlanta on Dec. 11, the Bulls have won the beyond two gatherings between the groups however haven’t confronted the Birds of prey since a 111-100 home win on Jan. 23.
DeMar DeRozan, the Bulls’ leading scorer, has led the team’s offense in the three games, scoring an average of 29.3 points per game. Chicago’s Zach LaVine, on the other hand, has scored at least 20 points in nine of his previous nine games against the Hawks.
The pair led Chicago to a second-half surge of 75-39 on Sunday, helping the Bulls defeat the Memphis Grizzlies by a score of 128-107. The Bulls won for the fourth time in six games thanks to 36 points from LaVine and 31 from DeRozan.
Chicago matched a franchise record with just three turnovers. In contrast, the team has scored 144 points in five games by turning the ball over.
After beating Dallas, who were visiting, 132-130 in overtime on Sunday, Atlanta is aiming to win consecutive games for the first time since March 8 and 10.
With 1.8 seconds remaining, Trae Young made two free throws and exhaled when Luka Doncic of the Mavericks missed a potential game-winning three-pointer.
The Hawks’ Young had 24 points, one more than Dejounte Murray’s team high. For Atlanta, John Collins and Bogdan Bogdanovic each hit four 3-pointers. Young has a non-COVID illness that makes him questionable for Tuesday, and De’Andre Hunter has been ruled out with a knee injury.
Collins has shot 39.4% from long range in his last eight games after struggling from deep throughout the season.
De’Andre Tracker has missed the beyond two games for Atlanta with a bone injury and muscle strain in his left knee.
