Chicago Bulls baffle Atlanta Hawks

Aaron Brooks tallied a game-high 23 points off the bench as the Chicago Bulls slipped by the Atlanta Hawks 91-85 in the regular-season finale for both clubs at the United Center.

With the victory, the Bulls sealed up the third spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Jimmy Butler hit for 21 points, Pau Gasol had 18 points and 13 rebounds for his 54th double-double of the campaign, while Nikola Mirotic scored 11 points in a reserve role for the Bulls (50-32) in their fourth straight win.

Derrick Rose, who did not play in the second half, accounted for just two points on 1-of-3 shooting.

Atlanta (60-22), which had already sewn up the top spot in the conference, was led by Dennis Schroder's 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field in less than 17 minutes of action. Al Horford added 14 points, while DeMarre Carroll and Jeff Teague had 10 apiece.

[SportsNetwork.com]