What: Charlotte Hornets (8-24) (4-13 away) at Chicago Bulls (15-21) (11-9 home)
When: 8:00pm Eastern
Where: United Center; Chicago, IL
How to watch: Bally Sports Southeast, NBA League Pass
Outfitting: Hornets–Icon (teal), Bulls–Association (white)
Game Lines: Hornets +7.5, O/U 223.5
Injuries:
Hornets: LaMelo Ball-out (ankle), Mark Williams-out (back), Gordon Hayward-out (calf), Frank Ntilikina-out (leg)
Bulls: Torrey Craig-out (foot), Zach LaVine-questionable (foot), Nikola Vucevic-questionable (groin), Patrick Williams-probable (ankle)
The Hornets stole game in Sacramento on Tuesday night, as they are wont to do for some reason. That snapped an 11 game losing streak and prevented a winless west coast road trip, which is always a danger with this team. They’re now making their way back east with a stop in Chicago before they finally make it back home to play the Bulls and Kings again.
It looks like Brandon Miller will be back in the lineup after missing Tuesday’s game with an illness and hip injury. That gives the Hornets a little more depth against a Bulls team that is starting to get healthier in their own right.
After a really bad start to the season, the Bulls went on a little win streak after Zach LaVine got hurt. They were 5-14 at the time of his injury and have gone 10-7 since. DeMar DeRozan and Coby White have shouldered the offensive burden without LaVine in the lineup, both averaging over 22 points and 5.8 assists per game in that span. White has been a sniper from deep while DeRozan is doing his damage in the mid range and around the paint, as per usual.
The Bulls have largely won game on the defensive end during this uptick in their play, which makes sense given LaVine’s defensive reputation. They’ve had the sixth best defense with LaVine out. Their offense hasn’t been great and has been very iso heavy. The Hornets need to stay in front of ball handlers and force tough shots on the defensive end.
If LaVine plays, the Hornets should find easier sledding against the Bulls defense, but his shot making has a chance to give the Hornets and their bad defense fits.
The Hornets should be up for this one. It’s the last game of a brutal road trip. Bring the intensity and get a win tonight, and then they’ll have all weekend to relax at home.
