In what was one of the wildest endings to a game this season, and despite giving up a double-digit lead after halftime, the Atlanta Hawks snapped a three-game losing streak as rookie A.J. Griffin nailed his second game-winning shot of the season with less than :01 on the clock to give the Hawks a 123-122 win over the Chicago Bulls in State Farm Arena on Sunday night.
The culmination of the extra frame brought plenty of drama as Bulls guard Coby White drained a 3-pointer with 22.8 seconds left to tie the game at 119-119, giving the Hawks the chance to control the ball for the final shot. To combat the Bulls strategy of doubling Trae on every pick-and-roll during the overtime period, Trae took to isolation with White defending and hit a stepback jumper from 20-feet out to give the Hawks the 121-119 lead but managed to leave :01 on the clock.
With all eyes on DeMar DeRozan for the final possession, the Bulls managed to get the ball in his hands behind the 3-point line for the final shot but he was fouled by Bogdan Bogdanovic, in what only can be described as an extremely poor decision by Bogey. DeRozan went to line and sank three clutch free throws to give the Bulls a 122-121 advantage with less than :01 on the game clock and giving the Hawks an opportunity for a catch-and-shoot.
Everyone in the building was more than likely looking for Trae Young to have the opportunity for the last shot but the Hawks decided to use him as a decoy and run him off a staggered screen at the top of the key. With all defensive eyes on Young, the Bulls were not too focused on protecting the rim and Griffin was able to cut backdoor and catch the inbounds lob from Jalen Johnson and flip it in as time expired, putting the Hawks back in the win column with a 123-122 victory.
Trae Young, despite his last-second heroics which seemed to put the game away, struggled again from the floor, going 5 for 18 from the field and a miserable 2 for 8 on three-pointers. Young finished with 19 points and 14 assists in 42 minutes. Bogdanovic lead the team with 28 points, Clint Capela added 15 points and 14 rebounds.