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 The Bulls desperately needed the win after a 1-5 trip left them with the worst record in the Eastern Conference, and it came against a team they've dominated in recent seasons.
The victory was the Bulls' 12th straight over Atlanta, a longtime doormat that is showing signs of an awakening.
The Bulls finally looked like a good team, outscoring the Hawks 36-21 in the third quarter to stretch a four-point lead into a 70-51 advantage.
Gordon scored nine in the period, and Deng and Tyrus Thomas added eight.
Deng, who scored 21 in Sunday's loss at Toronto after missing three games with back pain, seemed just fine. Thomas delivered several impressive dunks in the quarter and finished the game with 12 rebounds.
Andres Nocioni and Chris Duhon scored 11 each as the Bulls won for just the second time in eight games.
Atlanta got 21 points from Joe Johnson, but he had little help. Josh Smith scored 12 but was just 2-of-14 from the field.
The Bulls owned a 60-37 advantage on the boards, outscored the Hawks 38-28 in the paint and had 20 second-chance points to Atlanta's 12.
Chicago perked up late in the first half, and broke the game open in the third.
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Thomas spun into the lane for a dunk, and Deng hit two free throws that made it 46-36. Duhon's 3-pointer, Gordon's pull-up jumper after a steal, and two free throws by Duhon made it 53-38 with 5:49 left in the third.
It was a sharp turnaround for a team that hit just 15 of 45 shots in the first half, attempted two free throws and committed 12 turnovers
-- none uglier than this one.
Kirk Hinrich made a poor decision on a break with just under five minutes left and the Bulls trailing by one. Chicago's Joakim Noah had just stolen a pass from Anthony Johnson, leading to a breakaway for Hinrich. He threw a low pass back to Noah, who was not expecting the ball, rather than take the wide open layup.
That resulted in a turnover and loud boos from the crowd.
Notes: The Hawks have not beaten the Bulls since a 116-101 victory at the United Center on April 9, 2004. ... Smith blocked six shots for Atlanta, giving him at least one in 65 straight games. ... Atlanta was 8-of-31 from the field in the first half. ... Chicago's Ben Wallace had 12 rebounds.
[Associated Press; By ANDREW SELIGMAN]
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
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