The Atlanta Hawks head to Chicago on Friday night with a mix of rest and frustration. The team won four of their last five games, but the recent loss to the Los Angeles Lakers still stings. Atlanta committed 20 turnovers in that game, including five in the third quarter and five more in the fourth. Coach Quin Snyder pointed out the difficulty of that situation after the game.
“I know it’s hard to win when you have those lapses and you’re trying to overcome mistakes,” Snyder said, according to Yardbarker. The Hawks managed to stay close to the Lakers despite the errors, but sloppy play against a disciplined team like the Bulls could be fatal. Chicago is already struggling with a losing streak and now faces a major injury to their young star.
Chicago Takes a Huge Hit
The Bulls were already in a tailspin before Friday, having lost eight straight games. Their situation got much worse when rookie Caleb Wilson fractured his right hand in the third quarter against San Antonio. Wilson had been the bright spot for Chicago, averaging 18.9 points and 6.2 rebounds in his first 10 games. He also added 1.9 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game.
Head coach Tiago Splitter knew the minutes were heavy for the young player before the injury occurred. Wilson was playing 30.8 minutes per night, which raised concerns about his workload. Splitter addressed the situation with a focus on long-term health rather than just immediate wins.
“We’ve got to be smart with him, of course,” Splitter said. “He’s playing a lot of minutes. Those minutes are important to his development, but we’ve also got to be smart with his body being young.” Wilson will miss four to six weeks of action, leaving a massive hole in the Bulls’ rotation right before a tough matchup.
Hawks Defense Steps Up
While Chicago struggles, Atlanta’s defense has shown real promise. Dyson Daniels has been a force on that end, collecting four steals in the game against the Lakers. He is now averaging three steals per game, which is one more than his average from last year. Daniels explained his mindset shift in a recent interview.
“I just think I’m being more aggressive on the defensive end,” Daniels said. “I feel like last year I went a little bit more passive. This year, I’m trying to be more aggressive on the ball, picking up, trying to turn people, trying to create turnovers and stuff like that.” This aggression could be the key to stopping a Bulls offense that has turned the ball over 19 times in their last loss to San Antonio.
Offensively, the Hawks have reliable scorers to lean on. CJ McCollum scored 21 points off the bench and passed 17,000 career points. Nickeil Alexander-Walker also contributed 20 points, marking his fifth straight game with at least 20 points this month. The Hawks are 1-0 in the East Group C of the NBA Cup, while Chicago sits at 0-1.
Starting Friday, the NBA Cup group stage resumes and runs on chosen nights until November 27, leading to an eight-team knockout bracket in December.
