Johnson, Hawks End Skid Against Bulls

[January 14, 2008]  ATLANTA, Ga. (AP) -- Joe Johnson and the Atlanta Hawks ended nearly four years of losing to Chicago in a decisive manner. Johnson scored 37 points, including 25 in the first half, and the Hawks beat the Bulls 105-84 Sunday to end a 12-game losing streak in the series.

The Hawks had not beaten the Bulls since a 116-101 victory at the United Center on April 9, 2004.

The Hawks built a 22-point lead in the first half and never let the Bulls mount a serious comeback. Chicago cut the lead to 80-66 at the end of the third quarter, but a steal and 3-pointer by Johnson midway through the fourth pushed the lead back to 91-72.

Johnson added nine rebounds and six assists.

Chicago pulled within 93-80 in the fourth quarter, but the Hawks answered with eight straight points.

Luol Deng led Chicago with 28 points in his return from missing three games with a sore Achilles tendon.

Andres Nocioni had 20 points, Joe Smith 12 and Kirk Hinrich 11 for Chicago.

Josh Childress added 14 points and nine rebounds for Atlanta.

The Hawks set a season scoring low in a 90-78 loss at Chicago on Nov. 27. They almost matched that total in the first half Sunday, setting a season high for points in the first half while building a 69-49 lead at the break.

The Hawks built their big lead on the run, outscoring the Bulls 23-7 on fast-break points in the half.

Another big difference in the two meetings between the teams this season: the Hawks outrebounded the Bulls 54-40 Sunday. In the earlier game in Chicago, the Bulls had 60-37 advantage.

Though the Hawks had only 11 points in the third quarter, they held the Bulls to 17.

In an unanimous vote by Chicago's players, rookie Joakim Noah was benched for the game.

Noah had a confrontation with assistant coach Ron Adams in practice before Friday's game at Philadelphia. He was inactive for that game for what the team called internal discipline, and the players told interim coach Jim Boylan after Friday's game they felt one game was not enough.

Boylan said Noah has been involved in "a couple of situations where he's been late or not doing what the Chicago Bulls do."

"So the cumulative aspect of this is definitely part of the reasoning for the players doing what they did," the coach said.

Noah sat behind the Bulls bench, wearing street clothes.

Notes: Johnson had 19 points in the first quarter, a high mark for the Hawks in a quarter this season. ... The Bulls are 5-4 under Boylan. ... C Zaza Pachulia (left foot) missed his third straight game. ... Hawks second-year center Solomon Jones played for the first time since Dec. 17. He set a season high with 19 minutes and had six points and seven rebounds.

[Associated Press; By CHARLES ODUM]

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