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The Chicago Bulls secured a commanding 131-116 victory over the Atlanta Hawks in the Play-in round on Thursday. Coby White delivered his career-best performance of 42 points and DeMar DeRozan's contributed 22 points and nine assists.
Next up for the Bulls is a matchup against the Miami Heat on Friday, with the victor securing the Eastern Conference's No. 8 seed and a chance to face the top-seeded Boston Celtics in the first round.
The game against the Atlanta Hawks was an offensive spectacle, with White taking charge and directing the show.
DeMar DeRozan was with Coby White in the post-game presser, where he was asked about White's performance, to which he replied:
"He did alright! He can do a little bit better."
While Coby White and DeMar DeRozan illuminated the Bulls' home court, center Nikola Vucevic and Ayo Dosunmu also contributed to the offensive barrage, tallying 24 and 19 points, respectively. Vucevic further bolstered Chicago's performance with 12 rebounds, leading the team in that category.
Establishing an impressive 18-point advantage in the first quarter, Chicago surged ahead early, only to see Atlanta mount a comeback with 45 points in the second quarter, narrowing the gap to six by halftime. However, Coby White took charge in the second half, sealing the victory for the Bulls by netting 25 of his game-high 42 points.
How did Chicago Bulls and Coby White overwhelm Atlanta Hawks?
For the first half, the Hawks managed to keep pace, but their roster limitations became glaringly apparent as the game progressed, compounded by their persistently lackluster defense.
The absence of key players like Saddiq Bey, Jalen Johnson, and Onyeka Okongwu, along with the curious omission of late-season addition Vit Krejci from the playoff roster, left Atlanta significantly short-handed right from the start.
The game slipped out of the Hawks' grasp due to disastrous performances from their bench units towards the end of the first and third quarters, including an unexpected appearance from little-used rookie Mouhamed Gueye.
With Trae Young still hampered by a left finger injury and De’Andre Hunter enduring his toughest game of the season, the Hawks lacked the offensive firepower necessary to compensate for their porous defense.
Further, after Alex Caruso was sidelined due to an injury after colliding with Andre Drummond, Atlanta couldn't muster the energy to mount a comeback.
Ultimately, the league's 27th-ranked defense succumbed, conceding 131 points on a 57% shooting performance to one of the league's least dynamic offensive teams.
Guess the Lakers players!
