Vit Krejci sets career highs with 18 points, 6 3s as Hawks beat Bulls 113-101

CHICAGO (AP) — Vit Krejci felt as if the ball was going to go in with each shot.

He was right every time, and it sure felt good.

Krejci made all his shots and set career highs with 18 points and six 3-pointers, Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 20 and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Chicago Bulls 113-101 Monday night in a matchup between potential play-in tournament opponents.

Krejci made all six field-goal attempts and surpassed his previous highs of 16 points and four 3s, helping Atlanta win for the fifth time in six games.

“It's just a confidence,” he said. “You knock down a couple. The team was playing well. I think the reason why we shot the ball well today was we just were moving the ball. When you get a 3 off of three passes or a kickout or something like that, it always feels better than a one-pass 3."

Dejounte Murray scored 17 points and Clint Capela added 15 points and 11 rebounds as the 10th-place Hawks moved within a half-game of the ninth-place Bulls in the Eastern Conference. Chicago owns the head-to-head tiebreaker after taking two of three from Atlanta and would host a play-in game if the teams finish tied.

DeMar DeRozan led the Bulls with 31 points. Coby White scored 22. Ayo Dosunmu added 15 points, and Andre Drummond had 13 points and 18 rebounds.

“As bad as it feels now, I don't think we played that bad,” DeRozan said.

Bogdanovic made 6 of 7 shots, including a pair of 3s. The hot-shooting Hawks went 19 of 40 from beyond the arc the Bulls made just 7 of 28.

Bogdanovic also had to be separated from coach Quin Snyder during a timeout late in the game. Bogdanovic slammed a water bottle and kept pointing at his chest as he rose from his seat and got in Snyder's face.

The two brushed it off, with Snyder saying, “Bogey was terrific, and I he and I are in a great place — better than good." Bogdanovic called it nothing more than a “basketball argument" and insisted they are on good terms.

“Quin is my guy, for sure,” he said. “He was pushing me through the whole year. We have little fights. It's normal that it happens. It's sad that it happened on a game and on TV, so now that's highlighted. But it's just part of a game that we play. I think that's normal. In our world, that's kind of normal.”

Atlanta led by 17 late in the third quarter and was never seriously threatened after that.

Krejci, a third-year pro from the Czech Republic, almost matched his career scoring high in the first half. He made all five shots and a 3 just before the halftime buzzer to give the Hawks a 61-53 lead.

Murray scored 11 in the half and made three 3s, and the Hawks were 14 of 26 on 3-pointers through the first two quarters.

The Bulls' Lonzo Ball (left knee surgery) was in Chicago, and Zach LaVine (right foot surgery) and Patrick Williams (left foot surgery) were flying in to continue their rehab. Javonte Green missed the game to tend to a family matter. His 10-day contract was also set to expire.

Hawks guard AJ Griffin (right high ankle sprain) is participating in individual basketball activities and will be evaluated in seven to 10 days. Forward Mouhamed Gueye (sprained right UCL) is going through full contact workouts, and center Onyeka Okongwu (sprained left big toe) has resumed individual activities. He will be evaluated in seven to 10 days.

UP NEXT

Hawks: Host Detroit on Wednesday.

Bulls: Three of Chicago's final six games are against New York, starting with Friday's game at the United Center.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Atlanta Hawks forward De'Andre Hunter, right, shoots over Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic, left, and forward DeMar DeRozan during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Monday, April 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Atlanta Hawks forward Bruno Fernando, right, goes up for a dunk as Chicago Bulls center Andre Drummond looks on during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Monday, April 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Atlanta Hawks head coach Quin Snyder checks the score board during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Chicago Bulls in Chicago, Monday, April 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Atlanta Hawks center Clint Capela (15) drives to the basket past Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Monday, April 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Atlanta Hawks forward Bruno Fernando, right, hangs from the rim after dunking against Chicago Bulls center Andre Drummond during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Monday, April 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Members of the Chicago Luvabulls perform before an NBA basketball game between the Atlanta Hawks and the Chicago Bulls in Chicago, Monday, April 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Atlanta Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic, center, looks to pass as Chicago Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu, left, and guard Coby White guard during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Monday, April 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray, right, shoots over Chicago Bulls forward DeMar DeRozan during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Monday, April 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Atlanta Hawks center Clint Capela, right, drives to the basket past Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso, left, and center Nikola Vucevic during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Chicago, Monday, April 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Oilers are about a lot more than Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, something the Golden Knights learned the hard way.

For Edmonton to get through to the Western Conference final for the second year in a row, it took a goalie who was benched earlier in these NHL playoffs and a forward who wasn’t in the lineup until Monday.

Kasperi Kapanen scored on a scramble in front of the net at 7:14 of overtime, and the Oilers beat Vegas 1-0 in Game 5 on Wednesday night to advance out of the second round.

“Obviously, we win games with Leon and Connor leading the way,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “That’s an absolute given. We won some games where our goalie outperformed their goalie. Then there’s games where our depth guys came through and scored big goals. Hopefully, we’re only halfway through this, but we’re going to need contributions from everybody.”

The Oilers, who last season made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final before losing in seven games to Florida, will play Dallas or Winnipeg in the next round. The Stars, who lead 3-1, will go for the series win Thursday night.

Kapanen’s goal backed up another shutout performance from goalie Stuart Skinner, who made 24 saves and drew several chants of “Stu! Stu!” from Oilers fans in the crowd. Skinner, who was benched two games into the playoffs, also blanked the Golden Knights in Game 4. This was his third start in a row in replacing the injured Calvin Pickard.

And Kapanen was a spectator the first nine games of the playoffs before finally getting his chance in Game 4. Given the other players on the roster, Kapanen said he understood why he was initially left out.

“The team was playing really well, so we weren't changing with the lineup, which is understandable," Kapanen said. “The most important thing is the team winning and now us advancing. I knew eventually I'd probably get a chance. Just being patient and being ready.”

Adin Hill made 29 saves for Vegas, which is out of the playoffs by the midway point for the second year in a row. The Golden Knights, who won the Stanley Cup two seasons ago, came into the playoffs as the Pacific Division champion and with the second-best record in the Western Conference.

“Any time you have a good team, you feel like you didn't finish what you set out to do,” Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo said. “We've got a hell of a team. It's disappointing. It's a hard league to win. We knew that going in.”

Both teams also were involved in the two most recent scoreless playoff games to reach overtime. The Oilers lost to Winnipeg on May 21, 2021, five days after the Golden Knights were defeated by Minnesota.

Edmonton’s only 1-0 overtime playoff victory occurred in 1997 over the Dallas. Vegas has yet to win a postseason game by that score in OT.

The Golden Knights played without captain Mark Stone because of an upper-body injury that caused him to miss most of Game 3 on Saturday. He played in Game 4 on Monday, but was far from at full health.

Neither team scored through the first two periods, and prime scoring chances were at a premium. There were only five high-danger chances, according to Natural Stat Trick, and the Golden Knights had four of them.

But each team had a grade-A chance early in the third period. Vegas’ Brett Howden whiffed on a tap-in after taking a fantastic pass from Jack Eichel, and shortly after Draistaitl failed to convert on a breakaway. McDavid had a chance on a 2-on-1 to end the game in regulation but was denied by Hill with 1:06 left.

AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Vegas Golden Knights players react after losing to the Edmonton Oilers in overtime of Game 5 of a second-round NHL hockey playoff series Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Edmonton Oilers right wing Kasperi Kapanen, upper right, celebrates after scoring against the Vegas Golden Knights during overtime of Game 5 of a second-round NHL hockey playoff series Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Edmonton Oilers right wing Kasperi Kapanen (42) scores against the Vegas Golden Knights during overtime of Game 5 of a second-round NHL hockey playoff series Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner (74) makes a save against the Vegas Golden Knights during the third period of Game 5 of a second-round NHL hockey playoff series Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (97) and Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel (9) battle for the puck during the second period of Game 5 of a second-round NHL hockey playoff series Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill (33) blocks a shot by Edmonton Oilers center Leon Draisaitl (29) during the third period of Game 5 of a second-round NHL hockey playoff series Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Edmonton Oilers right wing Kasperi Kapanen (42) celebrates with teammates after scoring against the Vegas Golden Knights during overtime of Game 5 of a second-round NHL hockey playoff series Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Edmonton Oilers right wing Kasperi Kapanen, right, celebrates with teammates after scoring against the Vegas Golden Knights during overtime of Game 5 of a second-round NHL hockey playoff series Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)