The Atlanta Hawks are having all sorts of problems closing out the Chicago Bulls.
Derrick Rose has 21 points and helped ignite an 8-0 run that posted the Bulls to a 69-67 lead through three quarters in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference Semifinal matchup on Sunday night at Philips Arena.
Joe Johnson has 22 points and Josh Smith has 12 points, 11 rebounds and six assists for Atlanta, which desperately needs a win to avoid going up to Chicago down 3-1 in the series.
Atlanta has played well in spurts in this one, taking as much as an eight point lead in this one. But each time the Hawks look to extend the lead to double-digits, the Bulls call time out and push their way back into it. The same exact thing happened to close out the fourth quarter.
Atlanta had all sort of issues to end the half as Chicago scored four straight buckets to take a narrow two-point lead into the fourth quarter.
The Bulls are getting it done without much from the field from Rose, who has connected on just 6 of 20 through three frames. That's helped keep the Chicago portion of the crowd down a bit and the "MVP" chants have been kept to a minimum.
Carlos Boozer has 18 points and Luol Deng for the Bulls, who are shooting 39-percent (24-for-61) through the first 36 minutes of basketball. However, Chicago has gone ice cold from beyond the 3-point line, where they have connected on just 3-for-14 in the game.
Al Horford has 12 points and Jeff Teague eight for Atlanta, which shot 44-percent (27-for-61) through three quarters.