The Chicago Bulls left an exclamation point on the first half of Wednesday's play-in tournament matchup against the Atlanta Hawks, thanks to solid defense and better offense late.
With under six minutes to go in the first half and the Bulls up 11 points, 55-44, star DeMar DeRozan turned an incredible block on one end into a thunderous and-one dunk at the other. Following a rejection from guard Ayo Dosunmu, DeRozan went coast-to-coast, finishing with a two-handed jam for the hoop and harm.
DEEBO SPECIAL DELIVERY.@DeMar_DeRozan | #SeeRed pic.twitter.com/ZFdOOGNNht
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) April 18, 2024
The Bulls led by 18 after one quarter but held just a six-point advantage, 73-67 at halftime.
DeRozan led Chicago with 18 points and six assists. Meanwhile, point guard Coby White (17), Dosunmu (12) and center Nikola Vucevic (11) all finished in double-figures at the break. Conversely, Dejounte Murray scored 23 first-half points for the Hawks, while point guard Trae Young struggled, recording only 10 points on 1-of-5 shooting.
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