After a hard-fought victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday, the Chicago Bulls returned home Monday for a huge matchup against the Atlanta Hawks. The Bulls and Hawks held the Eastern Conference's ninth and 10th seeds, respectively, and the ninth-place team will earn home-court advantage in the NBA Play-In game. Atlanta made a surge toward capturing that edge with a 113-101 win that pulled them within a half-game of the Bulls.
Nikola Vucevic's Quiet Offensive Night
Among the Bulls' starting lineup, seemingly only DeMar DeRozan (31 points) and Coby White (22 points) came to play. When Chicago's stars play at such a level, the others typically just have to post average performances to help the Bulls win. Instead, Nikola Vucevic had a rough night, finishing with a measly five points on 2-7 shooting.
Vucevic typically performs well against the Hawks because of a size advantage, as Clint Capela offers Atlanta's only equal resistance. The Bulls even ran a double-big lineup that saw Andre Drummond on the floor alongside Vucevic. Chicago's No. 9 grabbed 14 rebounds but struggled to finish at the rim and missed four of his five opportunities in the paint.
Bulls' Bench Offers Little Help
Drummond was the Bulls' only bench player to contribute in a meaningful way. His 13 points nearly doubled the production from the rest of the bench's seven points.
Perhaps the Bulls' lackluster effort can be chalked up to fatigue in the second game of a back-to-back, but good teams maintain consistent scoring instead of relying on two players to do all the work.
Despite Monday's loss, the Bulls still clinched a spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament thanks to the Brooklyn Nets' loss to the Indiana Pacers.
What's On Tap Next?
The Bulls have three days off before returning to action Friday against the New York Knicks. Tip-off is at 7 PM CT and the game will air on NBC Sports Chicago.
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