Norman Powell scored 33 points in his return to the lineup and Josh Giddey notched a triple-double as the Chicago Bulls defeated the visiting Atlanta Hawks 125-117 in overtime on Friday to stop an eight-game skid.
Powell, who missed the past two games, scored 15 points in the fourth quarter and OT to help the Bulls hold off Atlanta, which has lost two straight after a four-game winning streak.
Jalen Johnson had a triple-double of 27 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for the Hawks.
Giddey contributed 15 points, 14 assists and 10 boards. His pass to Matas Buzelis on the left wing set up a key 3-pointer that pushed the Chicago advantage to six with 23.5 seconds left in OT.
Jalen Smith had 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Bulls before leaving with an apparent left-hand injury early in overtime. Isaac Okoro (15 points), Patrick Williams (13), Buddy Hield (12) and Buzelis (11) followed.
Six Hawks scored in double figures. CJ McCollum contributed 20 points while Onyeka Okongwu (17), Nickeil Alexander-Walker (16), Jock Landale (12) and Lu Dort (10) were next. Dyson Daniels had nine rebounds for Atlanta.
The Bulls opened the fourth quarter with a 10-2 run to take a 94-85 lead, but Atlanta battled back. A 7-0 Hawks run featuring four points from Johnson tied the score at 110 with 1:08 left. Both teams missed opportunities to take the lead in the closing stages of regulation.
Chicago played without rookie Caleb Wilson, who underwent successful surgery on his fractured right hand this week after injuring it during Wednesday’s home loss to San Antonio.
Chicago built an 18-point advantage early in the second quarter, with an Okoro 3-pointer capping a 10-2 run that put the Bulls ahead 46-28 with 9:25 remaining.
Chicago relied on a balanced attack from Powell (12 points), Okoro (11) and Giddey (10) to take a 60-53 lead at intermission. Johnson led the Hawks with 11 points at the break.
Both teams moved to 1-1 in East Group C of the NBA Cup. The Bulls and Hawks each have two games remaining in group play.
–Field Level Media
