Game Preview: Charlotte Hornets seek third-straight win against Chicago Bulls
After heading into the All-Star break with two consecutive wins, the Charlotte Hornets are off to United Center to face the Chicago Bulls.
The Charlotte Hornets (18-36) are back in action Friday night after a much-needed rest during the All-Star break. The Hornets look to add another win against the Chicago Bulls (19-36) and win the regular-season series outright.
The Hornets have not faced the Bulls since the middle of December; an affair in which Charlotte edged Chicago by ten in a tight defensive game, 83-73 on the road.
In their last game, the Hornets pulled off another big comeback against the Minnesota Timberwolves, with the young guns for the Hornets showing out in a 115-108 win in Minneapolis. The Bull’s last game resulted in a 126-114 loss to the Washington Wizards.
Charlotte Hornets at Chicago Bulls
8:00 p.m. EST, Thursday, February 20th, 2020
United Center
Fox Sports Southeast
Stream: Fubo.tv
Injury Report:
CHA:
None
CHI:
Wendell Carter Jr. – Ankle (Out)
Denzel Valentine – Hamstring (Out)
Chandler Hutchinson – Shoulder (Out)
Otto Porter Jr. – Foot (Out)
Kris Dunn – Knee (Out)
Lauri Markkanen – Pelvis (Out)
Things to watch for:
Based on the injury report for the Bulls, the Charlotte Hornets have a lot of advantages heading into Thursday night’s game. However, Hornets games are never a gimme, so Charlotte will need a hard-fought win to pull this one-off.
During the All-Star break, Miles Bridges won the MVP Award in the Rising Stars Game, so expect him to come out confident. In his last ten games, Bridges has averaged 16.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.
Keys to the game:
The main key to this game will be to take advantage of the injuries that the Bulls have sustained. Zach LaVine will still be playing in this game, so the Hornets need to limit his shots. Charlotte does not need LaVine scoring 49 points on them again.
The main reason why Charlotte won the last matchup, was because they outrebounded the Bulls 60-45. The rebound battle is important, and it’s a major thing Charlotte must do to come out with a win.
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Winning here will allow the Hornets to win the season series from the Bulls. A win in this game will also move the Hornets to the 10th spot in the Eastern Conference.