Hawks surge with 50-point fourth quarter to defeat Bulls

Jalen Johnson scored a career-high 30 points, including the go-ahead basket late in the fourth quarter, to help the Atlanta Hawks overcome a 21-point deficit and beat the Chicago Bulls 141-133 on Thursday.

Johnson contributed 11 of Atlanta’s 50 points in the fourth quarter, and his basket with 2:44 left gave the Hawks the lead for good. It was the highest-scoring fourth quarter by any NBA team this season.

Atlanta was down 108-87 with 1:12 remaining in the third quarter and trailed by 17 going into the fourth.

Johnson made 11 of 16 field goals and added 15 rebounds and four assists. Trae Young scored 27 points, with 16 of them coming in the fourth quarter, along with 13 assists. He hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 126-126 with 3:03 left. De’Andre Hunter added 25 points off the bench for Atlanta.

Zach LaVine led the Bulls with a season-high 37 points, scoring 22 of them in the third quarter, and also had seven assists. It was the second time this season LaVine had over 30 points and more than five assists. Jevon Carter scored a season-high 26 points, and Coby White added 23 points and nine assists for Chicago.

The Bulls made 22 of 43 3-point attempts (51.2 percent), marking their 31st straight game with at least 10 successful 3-pointers, extending the longest such streak in team history.

Atlanta started well, picking up where they left off after a 13-point win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday, leading 9-2. But the Bulls began hitting 3-pointers and took control, leading 33-21 after the first quarter. Carter led the charge with six 3-pointers and 19 points in the opening quarter.

Chicago extended the lead to 16 points with a basket from Jalen Smith, and despite a surge from the Hawks, including 10 points from Larry Nance Jr., the Bulls led 64-53 at halftime.

Atlanta cut the deficit to five points after Hunter’s three-point play with 3:52 left in the third, but the Bulls responded with a 16-0 run to take a 21-point lead. Chicago scored 44 points in the third quarter and led 108-91 heading into the fourth.

The Bulls were missing key players: Josh Giddey (ankle), Ayo Dosunmu (Achilles), and Lonzo Ball (illness). Atlanta was also without Bogdan Bogdanovic (leg) and Onyeka Okongwu (knee).