It was not a pretty opening half for the Chicago Bulls, as they couldn't find a way to slow down the potent Atlanta Hawks offensive attack. Joe Johnson was particularly difficult to slow down with 16 points in the opening half.
Atlanta shot 62.2% from the field in the opening 24 minutes, including 8/9 from behind the arc. Vlad Radmanovic came off the bench to hit all four of his three-point attempts. Josh Smith was very active in the paint, scoring 14 points and pulling down four rebounds.
The Bulls also struggled on the offensive end, playing sloppy basketball with 10 turnovers. Carlos Boozer proved to be best offensive option, as he scored 12 points. No other player reached double-figures for Chicago, with Taj Gibson's nine points being the closest. Derrick Rose struggled to find his rhythm, scoring only four points and committing four turnovers.
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