The Chicago Bulls are starting to look like a team that’s found its edge.
Tuesday night in Atlanta, they pulled off their fourth straight win - and second in a row on the Hawks’ home floor - by doing what good teams do: digging deep when the game’s on the line. After trailing for most of the night, the Bulls stormed back in the fourth quarter with a gritty rally that showed both resilience and a little attitude.
That attitude came to the forefront in a tense moment between Bulls wing Ayo Dosunmu and Hawks star Trae Young. In the fourth quarter, the two got into a heated exchange that earned them both technical fouls.
The spark? Young gave Dosunmu a pat on the backside as he walked by - a gesture Dosunmu clearly didn’t appreciate.
Asked postgame about the interaction, Dosunmu didn’t mince words: “Well, no man would like that.”
The tension had been building. Just before the dust-up, Hawks forward Jalen Johnson had completed an and-one over Bulls rookie Matas Buzelis and followed it up with some trash talk. That moment seemed to set the tone for what followed - a chippy sequence that may have lit a fire under the Bulls.
From there, Chicago took control. They attacked the rim relentlessly, outmuscling the Hawks in the paint and flipping the game’s momentum when it mattered most. It wasn’t always pretty, but it was effective - a physical, emotional finish that showed this Bulls squad isn’t afraid to get a little scrappy when the situation calls for it.
For the second straight game in Atlanta, the Bulls had to hold their breath at the buzzer. This time, it was Nickeil Alexander-Walker launching a prayer from half court. It missed, and Chicago walked off the floor with another hard-earned win.
After a rough stretch earlier this season, the Bulls are suddenly back within a game of .500 - a small but meaningful milestone for a team that looked like it might be spiraling not long ago. They’ll try to keep the momentum rolling Friday night when they return home to face the Philadelphia 76ers.
Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
If the Bulls can bring the same fight they showed in Atlanta, things could get interesting in the East.