A season-high from Kemba Walker wasn’t enough to push the Charlotte Hornets past the Chicago Bulls as they lost their sixth straight.
The Charlotte Hornets (5-9) were defeated by the Chicago Bulls (3-10) as their losing streak grows to six straight games. Even though Kemba Walker dropped 47 points, the Queen City team couldn’t get the job done away from home. The Hornets are now 1-7 on the road this season after losing to the worst team (record-wise) in the NBA.
Julyan Stone (left hamstring strain) was the only inactive player for Charlotte. Treveon Graham, who was listed as questionable with a right quad contusion, was active but did not play. Michael Carter-Williams did not see any minutes for the third consecutive game. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist injured his ankle during the third quarter but did return to the game after getting it re-taped.
Game Story
Outside of Kemba, the Hornets couldn’t get much going offensively. Charlotte’s bench only scored 31 points compared to 46 from Chicago’s second unit. The Hornets blew an eight points fourth quarter lead as they were outscored 40-28 in the final period. Charlotte gave up 123 points to the lowest scoring team in the NBA (92.4). This game featured 14 lead changes and 14 ties.
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Player of the Game
Kemba Walker led Charlotte as he finished with a season-high 47 points to go along with six rebounds and five assists. The all-star point guard shot 63% from the field and only committed one turnover in 38 minutes of play. He made five three’s and was 8-9 from the free throw line.
Marvin Williams was the Hornets’ second-leading scorer with 13 points. Dwight Howard nearly recorded a double-double as he put up 11 points and nine boards. Frank Kaminsky added 11 points off of the bench while Jeremy Lamb led the second unit with 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
The Bulls were led by Justin Holiday who scored 27 points on 10-15 shooting. Kris Dunn chipped in with 22 points, seven assists and five rebounds while Denzel Valentine had 18 points in this one. Rookie Lauri Markkanen scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds to round out Chicago’s top contributors.
Highlight of the Night:
Tweet of the Game:
"Quick Stings"
- Kemba scored 30+ for the second time this season.
- Marvin Williams passed David Wesley (390) to move into fourth place for most three’s made in franchise history.
- Walker scored 40+ points for the fifth time in his career.
- Charlotte out-rebounded Chicago 42-35.
- The Hornets managed to shoot 51.9% (42-81) from the field and 47.6% (10-21) from three.
With the loss, Charlotte fall to 0-1 on the season against Chicago. The Hornets have now lost three straight against the Bulls. Charlotte has not won in the Windy City since 2015.
Next: How Nic Batum can help save the Hornets
In their next outing, the Charlotte Hornets will return home to host the Los Angeles Clippers. This will be the second night of a back to back for both teams and the first meeting between the two sides this season. Steve Clifford’s side has lost their last six games versus LAC. They will be looking to finally snap their current losing streak.