This is what the Hawks can look like when they are focused and determined.
It also helps when they make shots, get steals and run the floor.
The Hawks concluded their toughest stretch of the season with an exclamation point, pounding Eastern Conference-contender Chicago 109-94 on Saturday night at Philips Arena.
In the span of six days, the Hawks showed how their efforts can vary widely. The Hawks won at defending East champion Miami on Monday, blew a 19-point lead while losing at Chicago on Tuesday, lost at home to the short-handed Heat on Thursday and needed overtime to win at struggling Charlotte on Friday.
Then the Hawks dominated Chicago in the rematch despite playing their third game in three nights and after playing three overtimes Thursday and one Friday.
“I think a night like tonight shows what we are capable of as a team,” Hawks center Al Horford said. “It’s one of those things [the inconsistency] that can be a little frustrating for us and our fans when you see us play this way. I hope that this carries over. Maybe we can start building off this.”
The Hawks finished their ninth game in 12 days, the busiest schedule in the NBA, with a 6-3 record. The Bulls (7-2) were tied with Miami for the Eastern Conference lead and were off to their best start since 1996-97, but never led Saturday.
Energetic from the start, the Hawks built a 29-point lead and, this time, they finished. Josh Smith’s 25 points led five Hawks who scored in double figures, including 17 points and five 3-pointers by reserve forward Vladmir Radmanovic.
After taking a 63-45 halftime lead behind sizzling shooting, the Hawks continued to pour it on after halftime and never let the Bulls cut the lead to less than 14 points after gaining a 79-53 advantage in the third quarter.
The Hawks shot 57 percent from the field while recording 32 assists on 47 field goals. The Hawks had 16 steals, scored 27 fast-break points and turned 20 turnovers into 23 points.
There was no evidence of fatigue for the Hawks as they jumped to a 12-1 lead. It started when Horford stepped in front of Derrick Rose to control the opening tip and then drove for a layup.
“We played in four overtimes, so three games felt like four or five,” Hawks guard Joe Johnson said. “But that’s neither here nor there. We pretty much knew what was at stake coming into this game, and guys showed up.”
The hot start excited Hawks fans, who drowned out the many Bulls supporters in the building. The Hawks led 33-18 after the first quarter and 63-54 at halftime.
The Bulls came back in Chicago behind Rose, who scored 17 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter of that game. The Hawks kept Rose under control in the rematch: He scored just eight points and didn’t play in the fourth quarter.
Hawks guard Jeff Teague and Jannero Pargo led the effort to corral Rose.
“We just locked in defensively,” Hawks coach Larry Drew said. “Both Jeff and Pargo did a good job of pressuring him and basically funneling him to where the help was. He got away from us a couple times, but I thought for the most part the guys did a good job responding to his dribble penetration.”
The Hawks closed the first half with an 18-2 run and continued to pour it on after halftime. When Chicago pulled within 103-89, the Hawks scored six consecutive points to close out the victory.
“Our backs were against the wall, and we needed to get this win,” Horford said. “I felt like the guys, we really gave everything we had out there, more than before.”
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