Shorthanded Charlotte Hornets Fall to the Chicago Bulls at Home, 115-109

Jeremy Lamb‘s career night wasn’t enough to carry the Charlotte Hornets past the Chicago Bulls as they dropped their second straight game.

The Charlotte Hornets (29-38) were defeated by the Chicago Bulls (32-35) as they were without Nicolas Batum in this one. Jeremy Lamb filled in for Nic in the starting lineup but his career-high 26 points didn’t push Charlotte over the top. The two-headed monster of Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler killed the Hornets as they combined for 66 points.

Ramon Sessions (knee surgery), Miles Plumlee (calf strain) and Johnny O’Bryant (sprained ankle) were all absent from this one but the frontcourt got a bit of a boost as Frank Kaminsky (AC joint sprain) returned after missing the past five games. Unfortunately for the Hornets, just when it looks like they are taking a step forward in terms of injuries, they really take two steps back as Nicolas Batum missed this one with a migraine.

Turning Point

The Bulls came alive at the end of the first quarter as they turned a 23-20 deficit into a 44-29 lead. That 24-6 run started at the 3:40 mark of the first period and lasted until the 9:41 mark in the second. After that run gave Chicago the lead, they never looked back as Charlotte was only able to tie the game once in the third quarter but the Hornets never regained the lead.

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Who Stepped Up

With Batum out, Jeremy Lamb took advantage his added minutes as he scored a game-high 26 points in 30 minutes to go along with four rebounds. He had a number of clutch shots down the stretch to keep the Hornets in this one. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had one of his best scoring games of the season as he finished with 22 points on 9-12 shooting and he also grabbed six boards.

Kemba Walker only shot 9-24 from the field but he did end up with 21 points, 10 assists and four rebounds. Marvin Williams continued his dominance on the glass as he had a 13-point and 18-rebound double-double. Briante Weber seemingly jumped Brian Roberts in the rotation while Frank Kaminsky only scored four points in his return.

Nikola Mirotic was the beneficiary of a lot of defensive miscommunications in this one as he scored 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Wade and Butler each scored 23 points while Jimmy added 11 assists and six boards. Rajon Rondo, who had not started December 30th, put up a season-high 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

Play of the Game:

Tweet of the Game:

"Quick Stings"

• Kemba recorded his eighth double-double of the season.
• MKG scored 20+ points for only the second time this year.
• Marvin grabbed his fifth double-double in his last six outings.
• The Bulls’ second unit outscored the Hornets’ bench 38-16.
• Charlotte only shot (7-29) 24.1% from three in this one.

With the loss, the Hornets fall to 1-2 against the Bulls in their season series. With both teams so close in the standings, if it came down to a tiebreaker on who makes the playoffs, Charlotte would be pushed out in favor of Chicago. This was their first loss in the Queen City to the Bulls since 2014.

Next: Why Charlotte Should Sign Briant Weber Long-Term

In their next game, the Charlotte Hornets will hit the road to take on the Indiana Pacers. It will be the fourth and final meeting between the two sides this season as Steve Clifford’s side looks for their first win in Indiana this year. They will look to turn things around and snap their current two-game skid as they take on Paul George and company.