Hawks hunt down Bulls
Jeff Teague scored 26 points as the Atlanta Hawks inflicted a fourth straight defeat on the Chicago Bulls on Monday, nudging the iconic franchise 102-100.
Teague also notched seven assists in a 102-100 victory for the visitors as Chicagos record dipped below .500 for the first time this season, leaving them at 36-37 and further adrift of the Eastern Conference playoff positions.
The Bulls’ season has gone into a nosedive in recent weeks, with the team losing 11 of their last 17 matches to plummet down the standings.
The team held a clear-the-air meeting at the weekend after a damaging defeat to the Orlando Magic on Saturday but were always chasing the game against the Hawks, who opened up a 15-point lead in the second half.
A sustained Chicago rally saw them claw back the scoreline to 93-93 with 1:40 remaining. San Antonio Spurs thump Grizzlies
Elsewhere on Monday, LaMarcus Aldridge scored 31 points and 13 rebounds as an under-strength San Antonio Spurs cruised to a 101-87 win over the Memphis Grizzlies in Tennessee.
San Antonio, who have the second best season record in the league at 62-12, could afford to rest Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili.
Kawhi Leonard was also missing with a bruised quadricep. But the Spurs’ effective second string was still way too powerful for the Grizzlies, who lost their third straight game.
In Toronto, Kevin Durant poured in 34 points while Russell Westbrook added an incredible eighth triple-double in his last 15 games as the Oklahoma City Thunder romped to a 119-100 victory over the Raptors. Westbrook finished with 26 points.