Hawks hand Bulls their second win of the season

CHICAGO -- The Hawks fought their way back into Friday’s contest against the Bulls at United Center. But after allowing the Bulls a strong first quarter and letting them make 20 3-pointers, the Hawks fell 125-117 in overtime.

Entering Friday’s game, the Bulls had just one win on the season. But the Hawks struggled to contain the Bulls from deep, even without draft pick Caleb Wilson.

Quick stats: Hawks forward Jalen Johnson finished with 27 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. CJ McCollum led the bench with 20 points, 5 rebounds and five assists. Onyeka Okongwu had 17 points and 6 rebounds.

Bulls guard Norman Powell finished with 33 points.

Key moment

The Hawks fought back in the third quarter with strong defense to power a 12-4 run. That run included back-to-back layups from Johnson, as well as an offensive burst from Lu Dort.

Then the Hawks scored off some big defensive stops, including a block from McCollum and steals from Dort. They tied it at 83 with 40.3 seconds left in the third quarter.

But as much as the Hawks clawed their way back into the game, they just as quickly let it go. They gave up a 10-2 run to the Bulls.

Highlight play

The Hawks needed hustle plays after the Bulls trampled them in the first quarter. They trailed the Bulls by as many as 18 points at the start of the second quarter.

But the Hawks did a good job of carving into the lead, including with 3:31 to play in the second frame. Johnson got an offensive board off a missed McCollum layup. The 24-year-old forward followed closely behind McCollum and grabbed the rebound, turned and let the shot off.

He made the jumper and drew the foul. It cut the deficit to seven, a margin they carried into the end of the first half.

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