Charlotte Hornets: Preview and things to watch against Chicago Bulls

While the Charlotte Hornets ride a three-game losing streak, the team will seek to change things at home with a win against the Chicago Bulls. This will be the first matchup of the season between the two teams.

Last season, the Hornets won the season series 3-1 over the Bulls. Their only loss to the Bulls came at the hands of the game-winning three by Zach LaVine after the controversial off-ball no-call before the shot.

The Hornets received good news on Thursday about an injury. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Cody Zeller is set to make his return. Zeller has not played in a game since the first game of the season. It’s unclear where Zeller will fit in the rotation, but he has played a majority of the team’s starting minutes at center in the past.

Charlotte Hornets vs. Toronto Raptors
7:00 p.m. EST, Friday, January 22nd, 2021
Spectrum Center
Fox Sports Southeast

Stream: Fubo.tv

Injury Report:

CHA:

Cody Zeller – Hand (Probable)

CHI:

Wendell Carter Jr. – Thigh (Questionable)

Patrick Williams – Hip (Questionable)

Otto Porter Jr. – Back (Questionable)

Things to watch:

The Bulls are currently riding a two-game winning streak. Their last two wins came against the Houston Rockets and the Dallas Mavericks. It’ll be important to see how Charlotte responds to the Bull’s good play.

Since this will be Cody Zeller’s first game back, it’ll be interesting to see how Coach James Borrego plans to use him in the rotation. Bismack Biyombo has played some good minutes for Charlotte, but would Borrego change his starting lineup right out the gate?

Keys to the game:

One of the first things the Hornets must do is limit the scoring of Zach Lavine. He’s averaging 27.4 points per game and has been a problem for many opposing defenses. The Hornets do not need him to have another career game like he had last year against them.

The Bulls are one of the sloppiest teams in the league on offense. They commit 18.1 turnovers per game, which makes them the 2nd worse team in the league. The Hornets should have a really good chance if they put pressure on Chicago’s offense.

Finally, the Hornets must limit the number of threes by the Bulls and force hard shots. The Bulls are the 7th best three-point shooting team in the league. Charlotte had a hard time defending the three-ball against the Raptors recently, and they can’t let that be the problem this time.