Bulls Erase Early Deficit, Storm Past Hawks With a Second-half Surge

Kevin Lu

Oct 28, 2025, 03:28

Kevin Lu

Oct 28, 2025, 03:28

Updated at: Oct 28, 2025, 15:28

With the game hanging in the balance and 12 seconds remaining, Josh Giddey drove downhill through pressure and missed his first attempt. But the Australian guard refused to let the moment slip away—he crashed down the paint, contested a golden offensive rebound, and secured the final possession. Tre Jones finished it at the line, capping a remarkable Bulls comeback.

The Bulls (3-0) erased an early deficit and stormed past the Atlanta Hawks (1-3) at the United Center. Despite struggles and sloppy turnovers that allowed Atlanta to establish the biggest lead of 13 on the first, the Bulls rallied with contributions from the starters to the bench. Led by Ayo Dosunmu's 21-point masterpiece, the bench posted up 53 points, and eight players scored double-digits on Monday night.

Oct 27, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Tre Jones (30) drives to the basket against Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Matas Buzelis contested Kristaps Porzingis on the opening tip, and Isaac Okoro broke his scoring drought of the season with a transition basket. But the Hawks quickly seized momentum behind Porzingis and Trae Young, who combined for multiple early threes while the Bulls' sloppy-start issue resurfaced, committing four turnovers before the first timeout.

Kevin Huerter provided a spark off the bench with four straight points, but Chicago's defensive lapses continued. They struggled guarding the perimeter, allowing wide-open looks as Young orchestrated the offense. Patrick Williams missed multiple contested threes, Jalen Smith played passively after checking in, and Young found Gueye for an easy dunk to push Atlanta's lead into double digits.

The second unit kept Chicago alive. Huerter knocked down a corner three to break the silence, and Dosunmu added his first bucket off the bench. Together, they combined for eight points to trim the deficit to single digits at 33-25.

Jones then sparked a rally with four quick points on aggressive drives, and Dosunmu followed with a downhill attack to cut it to six. Josh Giddey hit an open three over Porzingis to make it 37-32, but Buzelis struggled with the ball inside, looking uncomfortable.

Young's corner three pushed Atlanta back to a 10-point advantage, but Buzelis responded with an and-one drive. Williams finally connected on his fifth three-point attempt, Jones added another from deep, and Giddey's spinning drive drew a foul on his Aussie fellow Dyson Daniels.

The Bulls fought for two offensive rebounds on their final possession, finishing with a Giddey-to-Vučević connection that cut Atlanta's lead to 58-57 at halftime.

The third quarter belonged to Chicago. Okoro broke his three-point drought to give the Bulls their first lead, then knocked down his second of the quarter while crashing the offensive glass. Nikola Vučević added a three, and Tre Jones followed with another from deep to push the lead to 71-69.

After forcing a Hawks timeout, the Bulls exploded. Buzelis drained his first three of the game, then Vučević found Huerter streaking to the rim for an easy finish. Buzelis kept attacking, driving from the left corner and electrifying the United Center with a reverse dunk to make it 80-73.

Okoro kept the fire burning, winning a jump ball and converting an and-one jam. Moments later, Giddey delivered a cross-court pass to Dosunmu, hiding in the right corner. Dosunmu hesitated, then confidently knocked it down to extend the lead to 86-77.

The Bulls kept rolling. Julian Phillips and Patrick Williams hit back-to-back threes, but Young answered with six straight points to keep Atlanta within striking distance. Despite the Bulls scoring four points in the final 30 seconds, Young launched a quarterback pass to Mouhamed Gueye for a buzzer-beater, cutting Chicago's lead to 98-92 heading into the fourth.

Young opened the final quarter with four quick points, trimming the Bulls' lead to two. Atlanta soon retook the lead at 101-100, and after a 24-second violation by Chicago, the Hawks built their advantage to 112-106.

But the Bulls refused to fold. Dosunmu became the savior, drilling a three from the left to ignite a comeback. The defense forced a turnover, and Chicago capitalized. Vučević tipped in a Huerter miss to give the Bulls a 113-112 lead, then Huerter knocked down another three from nearly the same spot.

Buzelis hit a contested three over Jalen Johnson to push the lead to five. Vučević grabbed a defensive rebound and fired an outlet to Huerter, who showed remarkable composure with a slow-motion layup through traffic, dragging Young away from the play.

With one minute left when the Bulls were up by three, Jones maneuvered a pick-and-roll with Vučević, finding Giddey unmarked by Daniels, who struck down the paint. Connected with the guard, Giddey drained his favorite open shot on top of the key, a clutch play that was considered to be the game's defining moment.

Bulls Erase Early Deficit, Storm Past Hawks With a Second-half Surge