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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
CHICAGO (AP) -- Dikembe Mutombo remembered the pain of an embarrassing loss by the Atlanta Hawks, and didn't want to feel that way again.
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| Mutombo |
So, he went to work on Chicago, and his performance Friday night
kept the Bulls from achieving a rarity for them -- a winning streak.
"I think a lot of it had to do with our disappointing
performance against Detroit," Mutombo said, referring to Atlanta's
92-69 loss Wednesday night to the Pistons. "We let ourselves down.
But tonight, the key was to take out (Elton) Brand and (Ron) Mercer
and pound it inside and take advantage."
The were very good at it, and the Hawks won 85-74.
Jason Terry had 17 points and 13 assists, and Mutombo tied his
season high with 18 rebounds. He added 12 points and three blocks,
and six Hawks scored in double figures as they prevented the 3-20
Bulls from putting together their first winning streak of the
season.
"Dikembe had a look in his eyes that said he was ready to take
it on," said Atlanta coach Lon Krueger. "Brand got off on us last
time (in a 91-82 Chicago win) but tonight Dikembe was there."
The 74 points scored by Chicago tied the season low for an
Atlanta opponent.
Brand, who got his 2,000th career point and 1,000th career
rebound early in the game, had 19 points and 12 rebounds for
Chicago.
The Hawks gained control late as the Bulls shot 24 percent in
the final period -- mostly from the outside -- and Brand, guarded by
Mutombo, was held to 2-of-5 from the field. Mercer only made 1-of-7
shots from the field in the fourth quarter.
"He's such a defensive force out there," Brand said of
Mutombo. "They ran plays away from me a little bit in the fourth.
The last time we played, he didn't stay on me as much. We've all
just got to learn to go after him."
Mercer said Brand wasn't the only Bull affected by Mutombo.
"Once you get past your man, you've got Dikembe standing
there," said Mercer, who had 22 points. "He takes away a lot of
shots."
The Bulls didn't appear timid against Mutombo early on, scoring
16 of their 20 first-quarter points on layups.
A 13-2 run gave the Hawks a 36-26 lead with 3:43 left in the
second quarter, and Atlanta led 40-33 at the half despite poor
shooting. The Hawks only shot 33 percent from the field, but held
the Bulls to 13 second-quarter points.
The Bulls went on a 14-6 run and pulled ahead 47-46 early in the
third period on a jumper by Mercer, who scored 12 points in the
quarter. But reserve Lorenzen Wright contributed seven points to
keep the Hawks ahead 60-56 after three. They slowly pulled away in
the fourth.
Chicago went 1-of-14 from 3-point range for the game.
Atlanta shot only 37 percent from the field, but made 25-of-35 at the foul line.
Matt Maloney added 14 points for the Hawks (6-17), who have won
two of their last three games.
Game notes
The Bulls have lost six straight home games. Their last
victory in Chicago was Nov. 9, against Orlando. ... Hawks coach Lon
Kruger, who coached four seasons at the University of Illinois,
stopped by his former team's Friday afternoon practice to chat with
players and coaches. The No. 5 Illini play No. 7 Arizona on
Saturday afternoon at the United Center, but the Hawks have a home
game at night, so Kruger won't be able go to his former team's
game. ... The Baha Men -- who had the hit song "Who Let the Dogs
Out?" -- performed a brief concert at halftime.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Atlanta Clubhouse
Chicago Clubhouse
RECAPS
Cleveland 103
Indiana 95
Dallas 112
Philadelphia 94
Charlotte 103
Washington 89
Sacramento 104
Boston 81
Utah 89
New York 58
Minnesota 99
Detroit 90
Atlanta 85
Chicago 74
Milwaukee 104
Toronto 97
LA Clippers 98
Phoenix 88
Portland 106
Orlando 96
Seattle 99
Miami 81
LA Lakers 98
Vancouver 76
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