The Chicago Bulls defeated the Atlanta Hawks 131-116 Wednesday night to advance to the second round of the NBA play-in tournament and eliminate Atlanta from a playoff berth.
SEE YOU IN MIAMI. pic.twitter.com/u4ptTdcPLp
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) April 18, 2024
Chicago was led by guard Coby White, who scored a career-high 42 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and served five assists to help the Bulls capture a 15-point victory. However, since play-in games do not count for NBA statistics, White's career-high in points will remain at 37, which he recorded on March 4 against the Sacramento Kings.
Demar DeRozan (22) and Nikola Vucevic (24) scored 20+ points to contribute to the Bulls' victory. They combined for 18 rebounds and 11 assists. With this victory, Chicago will face the Miami Heat in an elimination game on Friday, April 19, at 7:00 p.m. EST to determine the No. 8 seed in the East.
Atlanta did not go down without a fight. Four of their starters recorded 20+ points, including DeJounte Murray, who scored a team-high 30 points. However, the Hawks lacked bench production, recording only 13 of their 166 points from the bench, which is one of the main reasons Atlanta fell short.
