The Atlanta Hawks will try to regain their footing on Sunday when they host the resurgent Chicago Bulls for the first leg of a two-game series.
Atlanta has lost six of its last eight games and was blown out 126-98 in its last game vs. San Antonio on Friday.
The Bulls have won two straight and three out of four since enduring a seven-game losing streak. Chicago beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 136-125 on Friday.
The Bulls won their first meeting against the Hawks this season 128-123 on Oct. 27. The final two games between the clubs will be this week on Sunday and Tuesday, both in Atlanta. The teams split a four-game season series a year ago.
Atlanta is expected to have Trae Young back in the lineup on Sunday. He returned on Thursday after missing 22 games with a right MCL sprain but was held out of Friday’s game for load management on the second half of a back-to-back. Young had eight points and 10 assists in 20 minutes against the Hornets. He is expected to continue to be available for restricted minutes.
“Right now, our medical staff is on top of that,” Atlanta coach Quin Snyder said after Friday’s game. “When he’s ready to play, he’ll play. … That will be a process. In addition to the minutes, it’s just the acclimation of our group and how we play collectively.
The Bulls are also healthy again. Ayo Dosunmu returned after a three-game absence (right thumb sprain) and gave coach Billy Donovan his full rotation. Ten players logged at least 14 minutes and seven scored in double figures against Cleveland, a luxury the team did not have when Coby White, Isaac Okoro, Kevin Huerter and Dosunmu were sidelined with various ailments.
“When you only have seven guys, I think our toughness and our IQ went away in a lot of ways,” Chicago coach Billy Donovan said. “But, like I said, there was enough in the locker room, in my opinion (that) it’s not an excuse. We’ve gotten some guys back, but I think the identity of how we’ve tried to play early — maybe the first six or seven games — we’re going to have to continue to try to generate that.”
The Bulls are led by Josh Giddey (20.1 points, 9.2 rebounds, 8.8 assists), Coby White (21.2 points), and veteran Nikola Vucevic (16.1 points, 9.3 rebounds). Vucevic had 24 points and 15 rebounds against Cleveland and has averaged 17.4 points and 11.5 rebounds in 47 career games against Atlanta.
“I think we’ve gotten a bit more chemistry inside our team since we’ve gotten some guys back,” Donovan said.
Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson continues to play at a high level. He scored a career-high 43 against Charlotte — falling one assist short of his seventh triple-double — and had 17 points and 11 rebounds against the Spurs. Johnson scored 25 points against Chicago in the first meeting.
With Young unavailable on Friday, Nickeil Alexander-Walker returned to the starting lineup and scored 23 points. He put up 28 off the bench against Charlotte.
