ATLANTA – Trae Young scored 42 points to help the Atlanta Hawks outperform Zach LaVine’s lightning performance to beat the Chicago Bulls 120-108 Friday night.
LaVine scored 39 of his 50 career points in the first half, and Nikola Vucevic scored 25 points and 10 rebounds, but the Bulls’ three-game winning streak was broken. Chicago tried to win four in a row for the first time since December 2017.
LaVine scored 25 straight in the second quarter to set the NBA high in the first half of this season. The 39 points were also ranked third in the first half of the game in the last 25 seasons, following only the 42 and 40 points that Kobe Bryant and Klay Thompson scored in 2003 and 2016, respectively.
“I just got into a rhythm,” LaVine said. “My 3s started to fall and then I could get to the midrange and get to the circle. I was trying to get to the free throw line late in the second quarter because I was so tired. I was trying to get a little break. . “
The Hawks did not go easily, taking an 86-84 lead entering the fourth.
It looks like the Bulls were in good shape when LaVine managed to put Chicago 88-86 with 11 minutes left. But Danilo Gallinari, who finished with 20 points in a reserve role, immediately drilled 3 at 5:48. The young man fed Clint Capela to multiply two possessions later to make him 104-101 in favor of the hawks.
Another 3 immediately by Gallinari and a bench shot by Young put Atlanta ahead 111-103 with 3:26 to play. LaVine came out of a timeout to commit a travel turnover, and the Hawks took a comfortable 10-point lead over Capela’s dunka with 2:42 left.
Gallinari followed with a 3 on the left wing to bring Atlanta 116-106 in the final minute to extend a 19-4 round and put an end to any remaining suspense.
LaVine, an All-Star goalie, outscored the Hawks 10-4 with a 9:46 mark of the first and then scored 14-10 with a quick halftime run. He scored 39 of the Bulls’ first 62 points, while Chicago took an 11-point lead with 2:51 left in the second. LaVine was 13-for-18 on the field and 7-for-9 on 3 in the first half.
LaVine, the first Bulls player to score 30 in the first half since Michael Jordan collected as many on Feb. 24, 1997, against Portland, had another crowning achievement this season. He started the game as one of the three players, averaging 25.0 points while throwing 50% from the field, 40% on 3 and 85% on free throws.
But the Hawks made sure LaVine didn’t continue that tear in the second half.
“We had to change the game plan a bit, of course,” Gallinari said. “LaVine had an amazing first half. We were much more aggressive with him trying to get the ball out of his hands.”
LaVine’s previous season was 46 on Feb. 10 against New Orleans.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.