Four observations from the Bulls' loss to the Hawks

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There weren't 329 points scored this time around, but here are four observations from the Hawks' 123-118 Sunday victory over the Bulls.

Trae Young’s ejection was one of the worst you’ll ever see

Trae Young will always remember the first ejection of his career because of how incredibly soft it was. Both Young and Kris Dunn were chippy with each other for the first half of Sunday’s tilt, stemming from the 46-point, 19-assist thumping the former put on the latter two days earlier.

The first scuffle came early in the first quarter. Young hoisted up a shot after a timeout was called and Dunn took exception, brushing up against Young as they walked back to their benches. Young then pushed Dunn in the back and Dunn responded by pushing Young in the neck area. The two were each given technical fouls for the brief dust-up.

Early in the third quarter Young drained a 3-pointer from a step inside the Bulls horn on the halfcourt logo. He then stared down Dunn and was given a second technical that resulted in his ejection. There’s not much to analyze here other than it was as weak an ejection as you’ll see in the NBA. It’s possible that the referees forgot they had already given Young a technical and would have swallowed their whistles, but it shouldn’t have been a technical even if Young hadn’t gotten one earlier in the game.

Atlanta held on to win but the Bulls went on a 12-4 run immediately after the ejection and got as close as five in the third quarter. It would have been a brutal look for the NBA if that cost the Hawks a win, as Young was cruising with 18 points and five assists.

Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen played tired

Tough to blame the Bulls’ stars for not looking like themselves in this one. Zach LaVine and Lauri Markkanen both looked off from the start of the game, and only a brief spurt by Markkanen in the third and LaVine in the fourth kept them from invisible statlines.

LaVine finished with 12 points on 3 of 9 shooting and Markkanen had 19 points on 6 of 21 shooting. And who can blame them? LaVine played 56 minutes and Markkanen battled through flu-like symptoms on Friday night, and even without a practice on Saturday it was clear both guys were still feeling the after effects of the quadruple-overtime game.

Kris Dunn managed to pick up some of the slack, going for 14 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists in 27 minutes. He made a pair of 3-pointers and grabbed two steals, including an important one in the final 2 minutes that gave the Bulls a chance to tie. The final 20 games will be as important for him as anyone on the team.

The bench was excellent all afternoon

LaVine and Markkanen also got help from the bench. The Bulls’ second unit played what was probably their best collective game of the year post-trade deadline. Breaking it down in terms of long-term importance…

Ryan Arcidiacono continues to make winning plays. He put together a third straight double-digit points effort – the first time he’s done that this season – finishing with 13 points on 5 of 9 shooting, a steal and his third career block.

He seems to know exactly what the Bulls need on a nightly basis. He’s an able passer when he needs to be and can be aggressive as a scorer if the Bulls need that. Today they needed his shooting and he was up to the task again.

Wayne Selden had an efficient nine points on 4 of 7 shooting and added two assists. He didn’t need to do as much with Arcidiacono and Cris Felicio scoring but it was still another nice game from him. The Bulls have really found something in Selden and, as always, also got two second round picks with him.

Antonio Blakeney got rolling in the fourth quarter and almost led the Bulls to a victory. He scored 13 of his 17 points in the final stanza and showed what he’s capable of when he’s cruising. Those instances are few and far between, but it was nice to have on an afternoon when the Bulls’ heavy lifters in the scoring department were off.

Felicio scored in double figures for the first time this season, finishing with 10 points on 4 of 5 shooting. He also got to the free throw line four times. Shaq Harrison had two blocks in 27 minutes.

The Bulls get a four-game cushion over Atlanta in the Lotto standings

For those looking for losses this late in the season, the Bulls are now back to four games in front (or is it behind?) the Hawks for the No. 4 odds in the Lottery. We’ve said for a while now that the Bulls appear locked into the No. 4 spot, but in winning six of eight prior to Sunday there was a shot that with a win over Atlanta that the Hawks could catch them.

Per Tankathon, entering today the Bulls had the 13th most difficult schedule remaining. The Hawks have the second most difficult schedule remaining but with that four-game cushion and just 20 games remaining it feels like that No. 4 slot is safe.

On the other end of the standings, the Cavaliers are 2.5 games up on the Bulls for the coveted top-3 spot. It still doesn’t look like the Bulls will catch up to them given how well they’re playing, winning six of their last nine games.

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