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Johnson, Hawks down Rose's Bulls in Game 1

May 3, 2011 - 6:05 AM Chicago, IL (Sports Network) - Joe Johnson went 5-of-5 from beyond the arc en route to 34 points, as the Atlanta Hawks used a strong fourth quarter to take down the top-seeded Chicago Bulls, 103-95, in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series.

Ex-Bull Jamal Crawford added 22 points off the bench for the fifth-seeded Hawks, who beat the Magic in six games to advance to the second round for the third consecutive season.

Jeff Teague filled in for an injured Kirk Hinrich and scored 10 points for Atlanta, which outscored Chicago, 31-24, in the fourth quarter. Hinrich, who is also an ex-Bull, will likely miss the series after severely straining his hamstring in the clinching win over Orlando.

"As long as we've got each other's backs in the locker room, we don't care about the criticism," Johnson said.

Derrick Rose finished with 24 points and 10 assists for the Bulls, who needed five games to beat Indiana in the first round. This is Chicago's second trip to the Eastern Conference semis since the club's last NBA Championship in 1998.

Adding injury to insult, Rose twisted his left ankle in the final seconds of the game. The MVP candidate stepped on the back of Crawford's foot and came up limping, then walked gingerly into the locker room.

"I should be OK," Rose said.

Luol Deng donated 21 points and six rebounds for the Bulls, who are led by NBA Coach of the Year Tom Thibodeau. Carlos Boozer had 14 points and eight boards, while Joakim Noah added 11 and nine.

Game 2 of the series is scheduled for Wednesday, also in the Second City.

Atlanta started its big fourth quarter with an 8-0 run. Johnson and Crawford made three-pointers around Teague's floater in the lane for an 80-71 lead.

After Rose made a pair of jumpers around a Zaza Pachulia layup, the Hawks ripped off five straight points to build an 87-75 margin.

Chicago responded with a 6-0 flurry to cut the gap to six, 87-81, with under six minutes to play.

But a 5-0 Atlanta spurt moments later essentially put the game away. Crawford made a jumper and technical free throw around Josh Smith's jumper to give the Hawks a 94-83 advantage.

Chicago never got closer than eight the rest of the way.

"We've got to come back and play with an edge," Rose said.

The Hawks quieted the crowd with a 9-0 run to start the game. Chicago finally got on the board with 7:22 left when Deng made two free throws.

Atlanta shot 59.1 percent from the field over the first 12 minutes to take a 28-18 lead. The main story in the first quarter was the Hawks' ability to limit Rose to zero points.

The Bulls woke up midway through the second stanza. Trailing 39-30, Chicago went on an 8-2 flurry. Deng scored the final four points of the spurt to get the home team within three, 41-38.

A Kyle Korver three-pointer and Deng's bank shot got the Bulls within one, 47-46, with 1:09 to go. Chicago trailed by a 51-50 margin at the half.

The Bulls carried that momentum into the second half, starting the third quarter on a 10-5 burst. Rose, who was limited to five points in the first half, tallied six points during the surge that Boozer capped with a hook shot for a 60-56 lead.

A personal 5-0 surge by Johnson late in the frame gave the Hawks a 70-69 edge. The visitors took a 72-71 lead into the fourth.

Game Notes

The Bulls won two of three from Atlanta in the regular season. The teams have met four times previously in the postseason dating back to 1966-67 when the Hawks called St. Louis home. Each club has taken two series, the Hawks in '66-67 and '69-70 and the Bulls in '92-93 and '96-97...The Hawks shot 51.3 percent from the field, including a 7-for-13 performance from three-point range...The Bulls went 8-of-18 from beyond the arc...Rose went 11-of-27 from the field and went to the foul line zero times.