ATLANTA – Trae Young scored 42 runs to help the Atlanta Hawks overcome a blistering performance by Zach LaVine to beat the Chicago Bulls 120-108 on Friday night.
LaVine scored 39 of his career-high 50 points in the first half, and Nikola Vucevic had 25 points and 10 rebounds, but the Bulls’ three-game winning streak was broken. Chicago tried to win four consecutive games for the first time since December 2017.
LaVine scored 25 times in a row in the second quarter by setting the NBA high for points in the first half of this season. The 39 points were also the third highest in the first half of a game over the past 25 seasons, trailing only 42 and 40 scored by Kobe Bryant and Klay Thompson in 2003 and 2016 respectively.
“I just got into a rhythm,” LaVine said. “My threes started to drop and then I can go to the midfield and get to the hoop. I tried to get to the free throw line late in the second quarter because I was so damn tired.
The Hawks didn’t go easy, taking an 86-84 lead when they entered fourth.
It looked like the Bulls were in good shape when LaVine hit a lay-up to put Chicago at 88-86 with 11 minutes and 7 seconds to go. But Danilo Gallinari, who finished with 20 points in a reserve roll, immediately drank a 3 at 5:48. Young fed Clint Capela for an alley-oop two assets later to make it 104-101 in favor of the Hawks.
Another straightaway 3 from Gallinari and a bench shot from Young put Atlanta ahead of 111-103 with 3:26 to play. LaVine came out of a timeout to have a traveling turnover and the Hawks took a comfortable 10-point lead over Capela’s dunk with 2:42 to go.
Gallinari followed with a 3 from the left wing to put up Atlanta 116-106 in the last minute to extend a 19-4 run and end any remaining tension.
LaVine, an All-Star guard, defeated the Hawks 10-4 with 9:46 off the first, then made it 14-10 with a quick layout. He scored 39 of the Bulls’ first 62 points as Chicago took an 11-point lead with 2:51 over in the second. LaVine went 13-for-18 off the field and 7-for-9 on 3s in the first half.
LaVine, the first Bulls player to score 30 in the first half since Michael Jordan pinned the same amount against Portland on February 24, 1997, had another crowning achievement this season. He started the game as one of three players averaging 25.0 points while shooting 50% off the field, 40% on 3s and 85% on free throws.
But the Hawks prevented LaVine from continuing that tear in the second half.
“We had to change the game plan a bit, of course,” said Gallinari. “LaVine had a great first half. We were much more aggressive towards him trying to get the ball out of his hands.”
LaVine’s last season high was 46 on February 10 against New Orleans.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.