RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
 GAME FLOW
ATLANTA (AP) -- In a matchup of the two worst teams in the NBA,
the Chicago Bulls finally found another team they could beat.
|  | | Atlanta's Matt Maloney, front, battles for the ball with Ron Mercer Thursday night. |
Ron Mercer scored a season-high 30 points, including 12 in the
fourth quarter, and the Bulls gained their second win of the season
Thursday night by beating the Atlanta Hawks 91-82 to snap a
nine-game losing streak.
The Bulls (2-13), who still have the worst record in the league,
also won their first road game of the season after eight losses.
The Bulls' other win was 95-90 over Orlando on Nov. 9.
"It's great for these guys to get a win," said Chicago coach
Tim Floyd. "It got to a point where there was some doubt in their
minds."
The Hawks, who have the second-worst record in the NBA (3-13),
were led by Jason Terry with 22 points. Alan Henderson and Lorenzen
Wright added 15 points each.
"We came in feeling we would put this game away early," said
Terry. "It didn't happen. We didn't fight."
The Hawks' lead was brief, and their last one was at 5-4.
"They (the Bulls) were definitely motivated to do something,
and they got it done," said Terry.
Elton Brand added 22 points and 13 rebounds for the Bulls and
Khalid El-Amin added 16 points, including eight of Chicago's last
10.
"It's definitely nice to have a win," said Brand. "It's been
a long road since a victory."
The Bulls scored the first four points of the second half to
take a nine-point lead, 49-40, but the Hawks got within a point on
several occasions, the last at 67-66 on a tip-in by Dikembe Mutombo
with 10:08 left.
That's when Mercer took charge, hitting five straight baskets
for a 77-70 lead with 7:01 left. Overall, he hit 13 of 18 shots
from the field, eight of 10 in the second half.
"Once I hit a couple of shots in transition and they started
falling, all of a sudden I just started feelng more and more
confident," said Mercer.
The Hawks never got closer than four at 77-73 on a basket by
Alan Henderson with 6:13 left. The Bulls built their biggest lead --
87-75 -- on a pair of free throws by El-Amin with 33.7 seconds left.
The Bulls' biggest margin of the first half was 29-21 on a free
throw by Corey Benjamin with 10:03 left before intermission.
The Bulls held a 45-40 lead at the half with Brand scoring 15 of
his points. Mercer added 12. Atlanta was led by Wright, who came
off the bench to score 13 first-half points.
Game
notes
Atlanta took three of four from the Bulls last season. ...
The Bulls have the youngest team in the league, averaging 22.9
years old and 1.1 years in the NBA. The league average is 28.05
years old and 5.01 years experience. ... The Bulls broke a 12-game
road losing streak dating back to last season when they lost their
last four after beating Cleveland 83-74 on April 2. ... Chicago
guard A.J. Guyton sprianed his right knee in the first half and
will miss at least two games.
|
|
NBA Scoreboard
Chicago Clubhouse
Atlanta Clubhouse
RECAPS
Chicago 91
Atlanta 82
Milwaukee 108
Boston 97
Houston 109
Denver 105
Portland 95
Dallas 84
Seattle 121
LA Lakers 88
Golden State 99
Indiana 95
|
