Ayo Dosunmu and Javonte Green put clamps on Trae Young

The Chicago Bulls are coming off back-to-back games scoring 130-plus points giving them four such performances this season. Some of that had to do with playing the shell of the Atlanta Hawks. But it is also a testament to the offense getting back in rhythm as players return from health and safety protocols.

Nikola Vucevic seems to be finding his way as well.

They’re also coming off of holding Hawks superstar point guard Trae Young to 18-of-46 shooting from the floor and 3-of-13 from three-point range. He still averaged 27.5 points in the two games but it took him 23 shots to get there.

It was a defensive effort made easier by the Hawks’ myriad COVID absences. But it was a game plan executed to perfection by Ayo Dosunmu and Javonte Green.

Ayo Dosunmu and Javonte Green were defensive pests in wins over Atlanta

Dosunmu and Green shared the bulk of the duties guarding Young. They combined to hold the microwave scorer to 5-of-18 shooting (27.7 percent) and just 3-of-10 from three-point range. In the first matchup, Young was 8-of-23 overall and 1-of-6 from outside as Dosunmu and Green held him to just 1-of-11 shooting on the night.

He bounced back somewhat in the second game because that’s what great scorers do. But the Bulls duo’s efforts deserve recognition.

The concern coming into this mini-series was that, without Ball and Caruso to harass ball-handlers, the Bulls would be susceptible to dribble penetration. Young was 6-of-10 from the paint in Wednesday’s contest but went 4-of-14 two nights before.

Chicago Bulls get solid defensive performances from Ayo Dosunmu and Javonte Green against Trae Young and the Hawks

Green has played well since being reinserted into the starting lineup, averaging 7.1 points on 52 percent shooting and 41.7 shooting from deep with 4.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 10 games. His improvement as the year has gone on while moonlighting as a 6-foot-4 fill-in power forward has been one of the better stories on a team that is full of them.

He had 14 points on 80 percent shooting, three assists, two rebounds, and two steals. Green was 6-of-8 from the free-throw line.

Meanwhile, rookie Dosunmu had 14 points as well, going 6-of-7 from the floor with two boards, two blocks, one assist, and one steal. He has already outplayed his draft position and boasts the fourth-best defended field goal percentage differential on the team.

Dosunmu has held his assignments 3.6 percent below their season-long shooting averages.

The win gives the Bulls their fifth straight victory and nine wins in their last 11 tries. It also has them off to a good start on a stretch that could see them strengthen and maybe even improve their standing in the East.