If this game is remembered for anything, it will be for Lauri Markkanen’s assault on the rim.
The “Finnisher” slammed down six in the Bulls’ otherwise snooze 113-97 victory over the Hawks on Saturday.
Hey, has the NBA set the roster for the Slam Dunk Contest during All-Star weekend?
Markkanen didn’t fare as well on his other shots, going 3-for-11 on non-dunks. He scored 19 points, faring better than Nikola Mirotic (10) and Zach LaVine (8). Mirotic didn’t score until a minute remained in the third quarter and LaVine got shut out in the first half.
And yet it all added up to a breezy victory as the Bulls improved to 15-8 since their 3-20 start.
Robin Lopez (9-for-13) led the way with 20 points, and the Hawks bricked it all night. They shot 11-for-48 from downtown and 38 percent in general.
The Hawks reached a level of 11 on their tank-o-meter, falling to 13-32.
But don’t shortchange the Bulls. The Hawks might have looked lethargic Saturday but they did care enough to win three of their previous four games, taking out the Nuggets, Spurs and Pelicans.
Back to Markkanen’s dunks …
He shoved away Ersan Ilyasova in the post to create space for his first, then exploited a mismatch with the 6-1 Dennis Schroder for No. 2.
His prettiest came on a fast break after superb passing by Denzel Valentine and Justin Holiday, who whipped a pass to Markkanen for the royal finish.
The Bulls, playing without Kris Dunn (concussion), travel to New Orleans for a Monday night game.
Twitter @TeddyGreenstein
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