Atlanta falls to 0-4 in Summer League with 103-99 loss to Chicago

The Hawks were without first-round pick Zaccharie Risacher again tonight, but they found a way to hold on against the Chicago Bulls. Like the game against the Lakers on Wednesday, the Hawks lost a close game in the end and now head into tomorrow’s Summer League Finals against the Knicks with a 0-4 record.

The Hawks didn’t get off to a great start, trailing by double digits for much of the first half, but they had a great third quarter and took that momentum into the fourth. They had chances to win the game late, but the Hawks couldn’t capitalize on them.

It was another great performance from Keaton Wallace, who scored 22 points. Windler scored 17 points on 4-of-7 shooting and Jonathan Bowden had a great game as a backup with 18 points. The Hawks shot 50 percent from the field and 46 percent from three-point range.

DJ Steward had a terrific performance for the Bulls, scoring 35 points while shooting 8-14 from three-point range. Julian Phillips had 17 points, Adama Sanogo had 17 points and nine rebounds, and Matas Buzelis had 11 points as a substitute despite shooting 4-17.

The Hawks’ major problem in this loss was turnovers. Atlanta committed 26 to the Bulls’ 19 and despite some good shooting from the field, this can be considered the reason for the loss.

Let’s recap tonight’s game.

Here’s the Hawks’ starting lineup tonight against Chicago.

G-Keaton Wallace

G-Dylan Windler

F- Moses Wood

F-EJ Liddell

C-Rob Baker

On Wednesday against the Lakers, the Hawks trailed 12-2 early in the game and tonight they followed a similar pattern. Chicago got off to a 12-4 start with six points from Adama Sonogo, then Wallace hit a three-pointer to make it 12-7. A couple of three-pointers later, Chicago led 18-7 at the first timeout of the game with 5:08 left in the first quarter. Wallace scored five of the Hawks’ first seven points.

The Bulls appeared poised to take the lead early, but the Hawks ended the quarter on a 10-2 run and trailed 24-17 at the end of the first quarter. Wallace led the Hawks with five points and Atlanta shot 41 percent from the field and 22 percent from three-point range. Chicago shot 41 percent from the field and 36 percent from three-point range. DJ Steward and Adama Sanogo combined for 20 of the Bulls’ 24 points in the first quarter.

The Bulls maintained control of the game in the second quarter, despite repeated attempts by the Hawks to come back. With the Bulls leading 44-30 with just a few minutes left in the second half, the Hawks went on a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to seven points, but Chicago quickly responded. For Atlanta, Wallace was the only player who could make things happen on offense. The Bulls had Sanogo, Steward, Julian Phillips and Matas Buzelis to score. Chicago led 58-42 at halftime.

Wallace was the only Hawks player to score more than double digits, and the Hawks shot 50 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point range. The big difference in this game in the first half was the difference in turnovers. Atlanta had 13 turnovers to Chicago’s six.

The Bulls shot 50 percent from the field and 45 percent from three-point range. Steward had 14 points and four assists, Sanogo had 14 points and five rebounds and Phillips had 12 points. Buzelis, the 11th overall pick in this year’s draft, had nine points as a backup.

The Hawks had a huge third quarter on Wednesday where they shot well and that’s how they started the third quarter tonight against the Bulls. Early in the quarter, the Bulls extended the lead to 21 points, but the Hawks had a run in their favor. Atlanta went on a 12-2 run to make it 65-54 and eventually pulled within ten points at the 5:20 mark of the third quarter. The third quarter run in this game was sparked by Windler and Jonathan Bowden coming off the bench. It was nice to see Bowden bounce back after a tough game against the Lakers on Wednesday.

The Hawks cut the deficit to 75-68 late in the third period, with Windler (14) and Bowden (10) both scoring in double figures. That’s despite the Hawks still having a huge turnover problem, with more than 20 turnovers.

Atlanta finally took the lead in the fourth quarter. A 15-1 Hawks run was capped by a dunk from Nick Ongenda.

After a rough first half, the Hawks took over and had all the momentum of the game, but the Bulls didn’t give up. The two teams played a tight game and the Bulls led by two points 89-87 with 2:35 left in the game.

After the timeout, Steward hit a three-pointer to bring his total to 31 points. After that, the Hawks lost the ball, but were able to stop it. Windler hit a three-pointer to close the score to 92-90, then the Bulls lost the ball because of a backcourt violation. Windler attempted a three-pointer to take the lead, but it missed, but the Hawks were saved when Chicago committed an offensive foul with 57.7 seconds left.

The Hawks had a chance to tie or take the lead, but Wallace committed an offensive foul, which led to another basket by Steward to extend the Bulls’ lead to 94-90. After that basket, Wallace hit a three-pointer to cut the deficit to one point, then Steward missed a basket, giving the Hawks a huge chance to take the lead. They took advantage when Bowden hit a three-pointer to take the lead with 4.5 seconds left. It appeared to be the deciding basket for the Hawks.

The Hawks fouled on the next possession and Steward hit a pair of free throws to tie the game. Atlanta had a great chance to score the winning basket at the buzzer, but they missed and the game went to overtime.

Summer League overtime rules are different. The first team to score seven or more points wins the game, so the first team to 103 points is the winner. The Bulls and Hawks both scored three points on their opening possessions, and then Buzelis hit a pair of free throws. Chicago needed only one more basket to win the game. After Atlanta missed, Chicago called a timeout to set up a game-winning attempt. They gave the ball to Steward, he made the basket, and the Bulls won. The Hawks fell to 0-4 in Summer League with one game left.