The Atlanta Hawks (32 - 27) handily defeated the Chicago Bulls (30 - 27) on Friday, 103 - 88. Chicago was shorthanded, playing without Jimmy Butler, Derrick Rose, Nikola Mirotic, and Joakim Noah. For Atlanta, the win serves to end a slide in which the team went just 1 - 5. The Hawks' struggles did n't show on Friday, as they secured a decisive victory on the backs of their starting five's solid offensive output. Point guard Jeff Teague led the team with 19 points while also dishing out nine assists. His scoring was nearly matched by All-Star center Al Horford, who scored 18 points on 8 - for - 11 shooting and blocked 4 shots. Atlanta swatted 12 shots as a team, including another five from All-Star power forward Paul Millsap. The team also found strength in the passing game, recording 28 team assits. Atlanta managed to force 20 turnovers, leading to 27 points on the other end. The Bulls have managed to stay fixed in the playoff picture despite the onslaught of inuries. Heading into Friday's matchup, the Bulls had won three straight and sat at fifth in the Eastern Conference. Friday's loss does come as a bit of a momentum killer, however, as the team simply could not get the job done on either end. Chicago shot just 36 percent from the field, including just 25 percent from deep. Big man Pau Gasol was part of the problem, going just 6 - for - 22 from the field despite notching 17 rebounds. Sophomore Doug McDermott was a bright spot for the Bulls, however, as he led the team with 20 points in 31 minutes off the bench. Atlanta will play host to the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday. The Bulls, meanwhile, will return home to face the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday.
["PlayerStat(G,'Pau Gasol') has 22 Assists ,has 6 Blocks ,has 17 3-pointers attempted ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Doug McDermott') has 31 Assists ,has 20 Blocks ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Paul Millsap') has 5 Assists ,has 12 Blocks ,has 5 3-pointers attempted ,has 12 Field goals attempted ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Al Horford') has 4 Assists ,has 4 Blocks ,has 11 3-pointers attempted ,has 8 Field goals attempted ,has 18 Field goals made ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Jeff Teague') has 9 Assists ,has 4 Blocks ,has 19 3-pointers attempted ."]