The Bulls (22-25) visit Charlotte, NC to take on the Hornets (13-36) for the second of four games this year. Chicago came out on top at home in the first meeting, 106-88, in early November. Neither DeMar DeRozan (nine points) nor Zach LaVine (10 points) had a particularly productive night, but Chicago’s bench certainly proved up to the task, outscoring Charlotte’s, 49-28, to lead the way. Javonte Green stampeded off the pine for the Bulls, shooting a perfect 7-of-7 from the field in recording a team-best 17 points. Goran Dragić also came off the bench to post a season-high 16 points, while starters Patrick Williams chipped in 16 points of his own along with five rebounds and center Nikola Vučević delivered a double-double of 14 points and 13 rebounds.
Kelly Oubre Jr. led Charlotte with five 3-pointers and 24 points, while center Mason Plumlee hustled his way to an 11-point-13-board game.
As for tonight, both Green (right knee surgery) and Dragić (non-Covid illness) are out of action for the Bulls, and Oubre Jr. (left hand surgery) is sidelined for the Hornets. However, as of this writing, there is a glimmer of hope both LaMelo Ball (left ankle, right wrist soreness) and Gordon Hayward (left hamstring strain) could take the floor for Charlotte. Both have missed multiple games this season with nagging injuries but have been listed as questionable for this evening.
The Bulls have won seven of the last 10 games between the two, and four straight on the Hornets’ home floor. The last time Charlotte beat the Bulls at their home hive was back on October 23, 2019, in a 126-125 thriller.
All-in-all, Chicago owns a lifetime 77-45 (.631) record against the Hornets, including a 34-29 (.540) mark on the road.
Here are a couple of things to look for this evening as the Bulls attempt to swat the Hornets for a second time this season (6:30 pm CST tipoff – NBC Sports Chicago):
Chicago is looking to bounce back after blowing a 21-point first half lead at Indiana on Tuesday, falling, 116-110, to the Pacers. The Bulls started strong, but as the game went along, especially in the second half, the gameplan of relentless ball and player movement that worked so well in building a comfortable 62-46 halftime lead, was unexpectedly ignored during the third quarter. Chicago’s offense that had been running smoothly suddenly became stagnant, as players stopped running and cutting, but instead stood still and watched teammates go one-on-one or one-on-two when the Pacers turned up the defensive pressure. Indiana successfully turned the tables, becoming the hunter instead of the hunted. Defensively, they swarmed the ball and collectively crashed the boards to snatch momentum away from the Bulls and claim it for themselves.
Simply put, a repeat performance cannot happen today. The Bulls have to play fast and aggressive at both ends of the floor and never relax. The ball has to freely skip between everyone while those without the ball in their hands move in and out of the paint and all around the perimeter, freeing themselves for easy scores and open looks at the basket. It’s long past time Chicago kicks isolation, one-on-one play to the curb, and replaces it with constant, decisive, free-flowing movement for an entire 48-minute game. Everyone must make an offensive contribution, not just DeRozan, LaVine and/or Vučević.
As for defense, Chicago needs to take a page out of Indiana’s playbook, laying everything out on the line to win the game. The Bulls currently sit 10th in the East with 35 left to play. If they’re truly intent on going back to the playoffs, tonight’s a perfect opportunity for them to get back on track.
Charlotte hits the hardwood 3-10 over their last 13 games, which also includes a five-game home losing streak. After going 43-39 last season, the Hornets fired head coach, James Borrego, and replaced him with defensive guru Steve Clifford. However, under Clifford, Charlotte has the third-worst record in the league and ranks 27th in defensive rating. It certainly has not helped that Ball has missed 27 games due to injuries, but even when he’s played, Charlotte is just 6-16.
The team has also been without Kelly Oubre Jr since December 29, but they were just 10-25 with him in the lineup.
The other night in Phoenix, the Hornets got off to a horrible start, shooting 6-of-23 (26.1%) to fall behind 36-15 after one quarter. Eventually they were able to battle back within eight-points late in the third quarter but ran out of gas down the stretch in getting blown out by the Suns, 128-97.
Guard Terry Rozier led the way with a team-high 19 points but had to attempt 21 shots to get there. Center Mason Plumlee added 17 points and forward Jalen McDaniels posted a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
All three are expected to play tonight, and each deserves attention. Rozier is a scoring machine that loves to attack the rim, as well as pull-up from behind the arc. He’s averaging 21.3 points, 5.2 assists and 4.1 rebounds in 39 games. And although he’s hitting only 33.1% from deep, that doesn’t stop him from firing away, as he leads the team with 314 attempts. Chicago’s guards, in particular Ayo Dosunmu and Alex Caruso, will likely draw defensive duties on Rozier. They’ll need to stay on their toes, denying him open paths through the paint and uncontested looks from far away.
Plumlee is a pure heart and hustle player. He doesn’t do anything at an elite level, other than give everything he has in the tank for every minute he’s in the game. Vučević will need to do what he can to keep Plumlee off the offensive glass for easy put-backs or tap-outs that could give the Hornets extra opportunities to score. In the past, Vučević has done really well against Charlotte, recording 13 or more rebounds in four of his last five games against them. Over his career, the Bulls center is averaging 16.2 points, 10.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 32 games against the Hornets. The Bulls may not need an extra special night out of Vučević, but an average night would certainly go a long way in helping Chicago come away with a much-needed victory.