• Tweet

• Tweet

Derrick Rose (#1) of the Chicago Bulls drives against Josh Smith (#5) of the Atlanta Hawks.

The Bulls, in their very impressive 40-point win over the Sacramento Kings last Monday, proved that they are arguably the best team in the Eastern Conference.

That argument would be put to their test as they went to Philips Arena to take on the Atlanta Hawks, who were coming off a 100-59 home loss to the New Orleans Hornets on Monday.

Despite the tougher competition, Chicago was scorching hot for the second straight game, shooting 54 percent (56 percent from beyond the arc) and leading in most meaningful categories (rebounds, assists, forced turnovers).

That dominance, combined with the scoring of Derrick Rose and Luol Deng, allowed the Bulls to pull away late in the first quarter and annihilate the Hawks 114-81. The win put Chicago just ahead of the Boston Celtics for the best record in the Eastern Conference.

The Bulls did just about everything right in the first half.

With 4:50 left in the second quarter, Atlanta coach Larry Drew took a timeout after Kyle Korver’s 3-pointer gave Chicago a 57-35 bulge. Rose closed out the half with three treys, including one just before the quarter ended. After outscoring the Hawks 41-22 in the second, the Bulls took a commanding 72-43 advantage into their locker room at halftime.

Chicago continued their dominance in the second half as Rose scored 10 points in the period before being pulled from the game for good, with the Bulls with the game on cruise control for the remainder of the second half.

Despite Chicago’s dominance, only two players scored in double-digits, led by Rose with 30 points (including six 3-pointers), along with 4 rebounds and 10 assists while Deng chipped in 27 with 4 rebounds, an assist and a block.

The Hawks were led by Jeff Teague, who came off the bench to score 20 points (including four treys), along with 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks while Al Horford and Josh Smith added 14 apiece – with Horford grabbing 3 rebounds, dishing out 2 assists, along with 2 blocks while Smith grabbed 2 boards, along with 2 steals and a block.

Chicago (50-19) plays again on Friday when they host the Memphis Grizzlies while Atlanta (40-31) flies north to Philadelphia to take on the 76ers on Wednesday night.