CHICAGO — Luol Deng scored 22 points, Ben Gordon added 21, and the Chicago Bulls snapped their four-game losing streak with a 90-78 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night.

The Bulls desperately needed the win after a 1-5 trip left them with the worst record in the Eastern Conference, and it came against a team they’ve dominated in recent seasons.

The victory was the Bulls’ 12th straight over Atlanta, a longtime doormat that is showing signs of an awakening.

The Bulls finally looked like a team that’s serious about contending in the Eastern Conference, outscoring the Hawks 36-21 in the third quarter to stretch a four-point lead into a 70-51 advantage.

Gordon scored nine in the period, and Deng and Tyrus Thomas added eight.

Deng, who scored 21 in Sunday’s loss at Toronto after missing three games with back pain, seemed just fine. Thomas delivered several impressive dunks in the quarter and finished the game with 12 rebounds.

Andres Nocioni and Chris Duhon scored 11 each as the Bulls won for just the second time in eight games.

Atlanta got 21 points from Joe Johnson, but he had little help. Josh Smith scored 12 but was just 2-of-14 from the field.

The Bulls owned a 60-37 advantage on the boards, and outscored the Hawks 38-28 in the paint.