After a seven-day layoff, the Bulls came out with a thud, as the undermanned Atlanta Hawks took advantage of the sluggish start to lead 28-18 after the first quarter.
Thibodeau picked up a technical foul early in the second quarter that coincided with the rest of his team picking up the energy, specifically the second unit once Kyle Korver entered the game. Korver finished the half with six points in nine minutes.
However with Derrick Rose struggling, it was Luol Deng who carried the Bulls in the first half, finishing with 17 points on 6-9 shooting.
The Bulls finished the first quarter shooting 29%, but rebounded in the second to finish the half at 43%. Tom Thibodeau probably considers his team lucky for only being down by one point with the way they played early on. Atlanta had numerous opportunities to extend their lead and even take over the game but Jamal Crawford and Marvin Wiliams continue to display an addiction to terrible shot selection.
As it is, the Bulls played a C- first half where Rose didn’t score until more than halfway through the second quarter and find themselves trailing by one. If they can make proper adjustments at the half, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t come out on top in this contest.