Hawks’ loss to Bulls shows why they need ‘to get more reps’

Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis, center, dunks the ball on Atlanta Hawks guard Luke Kennard, left, and forward Jalen Johnson during the second half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Oct. 27, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/David Banks)

By Lauren Williams

5 hours ago

CHICAGO -- The Hawks took care of the ball. They shot well from the floor. But that wasn’t enough to stop the Bulls from getting off to their best start in four years.

On Monday, the Hawks got their full rotation back after missing players in each of the previous two games. But the return of Kristaps Porzingis, Jalen Johnson and Zaccharie Risacher showed that they still have more to clean up defensively.

“There were stretches of the game where we really defended and they put a lot of pressure on you,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said. “I thought we did a pretty good job in transition. Pick and roll -- they know how to score on it. I thought that they were able to get some advantages, and we had some long close outs, and they’re very good at driving the ball, and, at that point, to start making some shots.”

Turning point

The Hawks had several moments to get back into or take Monday night’s game.

They opened the third quarter on an 11-4 and built a six-point lead before the Bulls erased it.

Late in the fourth, they had a two-minute, 7-0 run that put them up 112-106 with 5:45 to play. A 3-pointer from Nickeil Alexander-Walker cut a 126-120 deficit to three points, and Young drew a charge off Nikola Vucevic to earn the Hawks an extra possession.

But it fell short.

Highlight play

When the Hawks are at their best, their defense dictates their offense. Up 50-41 with just under four minutes to play in the second quarter, Dyson Daniels picked off Kevin Huerter and found Young.

The Hawks guard hit a behind-the-back bounce pass to Johnson, who scored the quick dunk to extend the Hawks’ lead.

What they said

“We got to get more reps with each other and understand where we got to be at. I think offensively, we’re better than we were in the first game of the year, but defensively, we didn’t rebound the ball well enough, and that’s something that we got to do collectively, and I think that’s something that we got we got to be better at, and we got the guys to do it.” -- Hawks guard Trae Young on how the team takes the next step to have defensive cohesion.