Hawks lose to Bulls in Elam Ending extra time, 103-99

Yet another summer loss.

The Summer League Hawks once again aimed to secure their first win of the 2024 campaign. Zaccharie Risacher and Mouhamed Gueye missed this contest with injuries, but Dylan Windler made his return after a one-game absence.

Keaton Wallace warmed things up with a pull up three-pointer.

Like the last couple of games, the Hawks got off to a slow start as the Bulls jumped out to a quick 18-7 lead behind a flurry of threes.

Lottery pick Matas Buzelis came off the bench — for some reason — with Chicago up double-digits already, to add insult to injury. However, Atlanta was able to claw back with their bench unit, and they trailed by just seven after the 10-minute first quarter, 24-17.

E.J. Liddell continued to fight for a spot in the rotation next season, scoring some tough baskets like this one.

The undermanned Hawks did what they could to stay in the contest, trading baskets with the Bulls in the second quarter. Unfortunately, untimely turnovers gave Chicago many easy transition buckets, keeping Atlanta at arm’s length in the period.

Atlanta could never slow down the Bulls defense, and as a result, they gave up 58 points in 20 first-half minutes.

Facing a 58-44 deficit, the Hawks needed to come out of halftime with an energy advantage. Still, it was quickly clear that Atlanta still had no answers defensively in the third quarter.

But a late surge on offense brought them semi-close heading into the fourth quarter, down 76-68.

In the opening moments of the fourth quarter, the Hawks finally came alive on defense, forcing turnovers and getting some easy runout point the other way. Within a minute, the Hawks had closed to just a 1-point deficit.

Now in a dogfight, Atlanta had the Bulls stunned and continued to push the pace and force the issue, including taking the lead for a stretch. But a cold spell gave Chicago the opportunity to retake the lead, and that opportunity they indeed took,

Coming down to the final minutes, the teams traded leads. Down by one, Jarkel Joiner put up a shot in the corner, and while he missed, an offensive rebound gave Atlanta another chance. Eventually, the ball found Jordan Bowden for a big three-point make to give the Hawks a two-point lead.

But a foul near halfcourt on defense gave Chicago two free threes which they then made. Nick Ongenda had a shot to corral a sideline lob and put it in to win in regulation, but it was not to be.

And so the two teams headed to the new overtime format tied at 96-96.

In extra time using the Elam Ending, the Hawks and Bulls traded first possession threes to add to the suspense. But a DJ Steward bucket ended the contest for good, 103-99.

Keaton Wallace led the Hawks with 22 points and seven assists. Dylan Windler added 17 points and seven rebounds. The Hawks will face the New York Knicks Sunday in their final game in Las Vegas looking to end on a high note.