Hawks deliver historic comeback against the Bulls

Jalen Johnson (YouTube)

One day after the Los Angeles Lakers won a Christmas Day classic, the Atlanta Hawks won a Boxing Day Classic. The Hawks simply had a comeback for the ages on Thursday. With exactly one minute left in the third quarter, the Hawks were trailing the Chicago Bulls 108-87. At that point in the game, the Bulls chances of winning was only at 0.8% according to Sam Quinn of CBS Sports. With a remarkable fourth quarter performance where Atlanta outscored Chicago 50-25 after losing by 21 points, the Hawks ended up winning the contest 141-133.

Just how outstanding was the Hawks’s fourth quarter? Well, according to Quinn, the Hawks were the first team ever to score 50 or more points and commit one turnover or less in the fourth quarter. It was quite simply one of the most perfect quarters a NBA team could possibly have.

Six Hawks reached double digits in points. Small forward Jalen Johnson of Wausau, Wisconsin led the way with an impressive double-double (30 points and 15 rebounds). The double-double was matched by point guard Trae Young of Lubbock, Texas (27 points and 13 rebounds). Meanwhile, small forward De’Andre Hunter of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania had 25 points off the bench, small forward Zaccharie Risacher of Malaga, Spain, the first overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, had 16 points, guard Dyson Daniels of Bendigo, Australia had 15 points, and power forward Larry Nance Jr. of Akron, Ohio had 12 points. Nance Jr.’s dozen points also came in a reserve role.

With the win, the Hawks are in seventh place in the Eastern Conference. Their record is at 16 wins and 15 losses.