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Bulls, Hawks square off in Atlanta

Mar 2, 2011 - 4:10 PM (Sports Network) - The Central Division-leading Chicago Bulls resume a five- game road trip in Dixie against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday.

The Bulls, who hold a more than comfortable 14 1/2-game edge over Indiana in the Central, are 2-0 on their current trek after a 105-77 rout in the nation's capital on Monday. MVP candidate Derrick Rose scored 21 points, dished out nine assists and pulled down five rebounds in that one as Chicago dominated the Washington Wizards.

Luol Deng added 21 points and five boards for the Bulls, who have won three in a row, 13 of 16 overall and matched their win total from last season (41). Chicago is now in third place in the Eastern Conference, just one game behind Miami and two back of East-leading Boston.

Joakim Noah tallied 19 points and 11 rebounds for Chicago, which got 12 points and 10 boards from Carlos Boozer. It marked the first double-double for Noah in four games since missing 30 with a torn ligament in his right thumb.

"He's back, almost to the point he was at before the injury. His activity is off the charts. His defense is terrific, his rebounding is very good, and you can see he's starting to get a lot more comfortable offensively," Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau said of Noah.

Chicago, which is now 15-13 as the visitor on the season, will finish its trip with a two-game tour of the Sunshine State with games against Orlando and the Heat.

The Hawks, meanwhile, just finished a lengthy seven-game road trip on a losing note Monday when J.R. Smith finished with a team-high 19 points in a reserve role as the Denver Nuggets held off Atlanta, 100-90, at the Pepsi Center.

Joe Johnson finished with a game-high 22 points while Al Horford added 21 points and 16 rebounds for Atlanta, which finished 3-4 on its trek.

Marvin Williams added 13 points and Jamal Crawford had 11 in the loss. Josh Smith scored 10 points before leaving in the second quarter with a sprained right knee. The dynamic forward returned to the game with just under three minutes left before halftime but was shelved after intermission.

"We shot 2-for-19 from [three-point range]. You're not going to win taking that many threes on the road," Hawks head coach Larry Drew said.

Smith, a defensive anchor, shot blocker and electric presence, has been listed as day-to-day. Also, guard Kirk Hinrich, who spent his first seven years in the NBA with the Bulls and was acquired by the Hawks from Washington prior to last Thursday's trade deadline, was held out against Denver with a sore right calf and could be sidelined again tonight.

Atlanta has won seven of its past eight meetings with Chicago but this is the first time the two teams have tangled this season.