The Chicago Bulls hand an easy win to the injury-riddled Atlanta Hawks in Chicago

The Chicago Bulls lost 110-94 to the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night at the United Center, extending their losing streak to three games during one of the easier stretches of their season.

While some losses are close battles, this one was more of a gift. After losing to the New Orleans Pelicans 119-113 the night before, the Bulls didn’t make much of an effort to protect the ball early on. The Hawks took advantage of this, scoring 18 points off 13 turnovers in the first half alone. Guard Josh Giddey was responsible for three of those turnovers, but nine Bulls players contributed at least one turnover in that half.

Though the turnovers slowed down in the second half, the damage had already been done, and the Bulls were trailing by double digits. It wasn’t just the turnovers (they finished with 20), but the Bulls also struggled to hustle on effort plays. They gave up 27 second-chance points from 14 offensive rebounds.

This should have been a game the Bulls could win with ease. The Hawks were missing seven players due to injuries, including key starters like Trae Young (ribs), De’Andre Hunter (left foot), Jalen Johnson (shoulder), and Zaccharie Risacher (left adductor).

However, the Hawks got huge contributions from their remaining roster, with players stepping up in their expanded roles. Daeqwon Plowden, making his NBA debut, scored 19 points against the Bulls, and Keaton Wallace led the way with 27 points.

For the Bulls, Coby White led the team with 16 points, Zach LaVine added 15, and Nikola Vučević posted his usual double-double with 14 points and 16 rebounds. However, none of the Bulls’ stars were able to match the energy and contributions from the Hawks’ backup players.

Here are three key takeaways from the loss:

Ayo Dosunmu Returns to the Lineup
Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu made his return after missing 10 games due to a strained calf, and he immediately had an impact. Dosunmu is a crucial part of the team’s transition offense, pushing the pace after defensive rebounds—something the Bulls had missed during his absence.

With Dosunmu back, the Bulls scored 24 points off fast breaks. Despite playing only 25 minutes, just under his minutes limit, Dosunmu was one of the few bright spots for the Bulls, finishing with nine points, three rebounds, two assists, and two steals.

Lonzo Ball Misses the Second Night of the Back-to-Back
Dosunmu’s return was especially important since Lonzo Ball was sidelined for the second night of a back-to-back as part of his ongoing recovery plan. Ball is still coming back from three knee surgeries, and after his 33-month absence, the Bulls plan for him to sit out one game of every back-to-back for the rest of the season.

Ball is also playing under a 25-minute restriction, which he expects will remain until after the All-Star break. Though the Bulls are open to testing whether Ball can play both games of back-to-backs later in the season, the medical team is cautious about increasing his playing time too soon.

Postseason Stakes
Although it may seem early in the season for games to have postseason implications, the Bulls and Hawks are once again battling for play-in spots. This is the third consecutive season that the two teams are competing for the ninth and 10th spots in the Eastern Conference standings. Beating the Hawks on Wednesday would have given the Bulls the head-to-head tiebreaker, a key factor in determining play-in positioning.

With the loss, the Bulls (18-23) now trail the ninth-place Hawks (21-19) by 3½ games but still hold a two-game lead over the 11th-place Philadelphia 76ers (15-24).