The Hawks looked to go 3-0 in the NBA Cup and once again pull to within one game of .500. In their way, however, was a Bulls team that mounted a big comeback to win the previous matchup this season.
One thing in Atlanta’s favor was a full complement of healthy 15-man roster players (save Cody Zeller who remains away from the team and Mouhamed Gueye who was assigned to the College Park Skyhawks).
Atlanta looked mildly out of sorts early on, committing some silly turnovers and not getting lined up on defense the other direction. Clint Capela’s 10 big points almost purely from rim running was the only thing keeping Atlanta close.