Bulls Vs. Hawks, Game 2: MVP Derrick Rose Scores 25, Chicago Wins 86-73

Chicago led by as many as 14 points in the third before Atlanta closed the period strong behind Joe Johnson and Jeff Teague. Atlanta was able to cut that lead down to seven, 65-58 by the end of the third quarter. Derrick Rose has had a fine night with 18 points, seven assists, and five rebounds thus far. Joakim Noah has 14 points and 10 rebounds while Luol Deng has 10 points and eight rebounds.

Atlanta finished the third with a flurry. Joe Johnson has 16 points and hit a big three point basket late in the third quarter. Jeff Teague has 15 points and three steals one of which came in the final seconds of the third leading to two free throws for the Hawks that successfully cut the lead down to seven.

Chicago used a tenacious defensive effort and an attacking offense to slow down the Atlanta Hawks on their way to a 48-37 halftime lead. Derrick Rose had 16 points, five rebounds, five assists in the first half. Rose was 6-14 from the field in the first half but found his way to the basket enough to have a big impact. The story for the Bulls though has been their defense as they have forced Atlanta into much tougher shots during the first half of Game 2.

Without Jeff Teague, Atlanta would be in major trouble. Teague leads the Hawks with 12 first half points and also has two steals. Jamal Crawford came off the bench to score eight points but is only 2-7 from the field. Joe Johnson scored seven points for the Hawks who only shot 32% in the first half.

Those storylines make Game 2 (8 p.m. ET, TNT) rich material. Be sure to see our Bulls vs. Hawks hub for full series coverage. For more on the Bulls visit Blog a Bull and SB Nation Chicago. For more on the Hawks, visit Peachtree Hoops and SB Nation Atlanta.