CHICAGO — Mike Bibby scored nine of his season-high 31 points in the final five minutes, and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Chicago Bulls 105-102 Tuesday to complete a three-game season sweep.
Solid throughout the night, Bibby came up big in the end to lift the Hawks to their second win in as many nights.
The Bulls were leading 94-93 after Derrick Rose drove for a layup, but Bibby buried a jumper over Joakim Noah to start a decisive 7-0 spurt that sent the Hawks to their second win in as many nights. Flip Murray then converted a layup on a two-on-one after Chicago's Luol Deng hit the side of the backboard on a drive, and Bibby finished it with a 3-pointer that made it 100-94 with just under four minutes left.
Bibby also came up with a key steal with 40 seconds left when he picked off a pass intended for Ben Gordon near midcourt, knocking him to the ground. The crowd booed the non-call and Bibby hit a jumper to make it 104-98, sending the Hawks to their first season sweep over the Bulls.
Zaza Pachulia scored a season-high 18 points for the Kings. Josh Smith added 17 points and 14 rebounds, and Joe Johnson scored 16 for the Hawks, who have struggled this month after enjoying their best December in 21 years. After winning 11 of 15 last month, Atlanta is 4-6 in January thanks in part to injuries up front.
With Al Horford missing his sixth straight game with a bone bruise in his right knee and Marvin Williams (concussion) sitting out his second in a row, the only healthy regular up front was Josh Smith. And although the Hawks took a beating on the boards against Chicago, getting outrebounded 48-34, they still managed to hand the Bulls their third straight loss.
Gordon led Chicago with 21 points, Nocioni added 15, and Luol Deng had 12 points and 10 rebounds. Kirk Hinrich and Derrick Rose scored 13 apiece, but 18 turnovers did in the Bulls on a night when they hung in even though Atlanta seemed ready to pull away several times.
The Bulls didn't flinch when the Hawks jumped out to a 17-4 lead, nor did they blink when Atlanta scored 14 in a row to go up 72-61 midway through the third quarter. They again put forth the effort that's been lacking most of the year, just as they did in losing the previous two to San Antonio and New York, but got nothing to show for it.
Notes: Bulls F Drew Gooden missed sat out with a strained left groin for the second time in the past week. He also missed eight games recently with a sprained right ankle. ... Besides Horford and Williams, the Hawks also held out G Acie Law (bruised quadriceps).