Lauri Markkanen lifts Chicago Bulls to 116-81 win in ‘flu game’ against Atlanta Hawks

First quarter

The Hawks went on a 4-0 run in the opening minutes of regulation. It seemed like a bit of momentum could’ve been building, but it didn’t last long.

The Bulls bounced back by racking up 16 points to create its biggest lead at the time over the Hawks. Credit goes to the play of Bulls point guard Tomas Satoransky and the rest of the team for promoting good ball and player movement.

Take a look:

One thing to note is each starter recorded at least 1 assist.

Another thing to note is Markkanen was aggressive in the offense from the beginning, as was the case for LaVine.

To the Hawks’ dismay, things seemingly didn’t go according to plan. The team relied a bit too heavily on three-pointers. The Hawks’ guards also struggled to take control of the floor to dictate the flow of the game. The team’s shot-to-assist ratio reflected as such.

At the same time, the Bulls’ defense was a bit suffocating.

Check it out:

The team seemed to be in sync and communicated with one another when need be. This seems to have become a trend when the Bulls and the Hawks face one another. In previous meetings between the two teams, Bulls guard Kris Dunn nearly stifled Hawks guard Trae Young and his ability to make plays for both himself and his teammates. This time, Dunn made it his mission to stop Hawks guard Kevin Huerter, only to find success in that regard.

The Hawks called a timeout at the 8:09 mark and went on a bit of a run after collecting themselves. In the absence of Young, the team turned to big man John Collins as its go-to scorer. He didn’t disappoint in that regard.

At the same time, the Bulls forced several turnovers, four of which were credited to guard Coby White. Things began to settle down for him and the rest of the team going forward.

The Bulls led the Hawks 35-19 by the end of the first quarter.