The Charlotte Hornets were expected to lose on Sunday, so there weren't any surprises as the Chicago Bulls routed them 131-117. The contest was over at halftime, as Chicago raced to a 75-55 lead, thanks largely to Coby White scoring 20 and Josh Giddey continuing to show his all-around game with 14 points, five rebounds, and seven assists.
By the time the final buzzer sounded, White had 37 points while Giddey fell two dimes shy of a triple-double.
The beating should provide the Hornets with some insights into what they have to do in the summer in order to get up to at least the level of the Bulls, who are set to join the play-in tournament and contend for one of the last two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference.
Coby White's scoring explosion exposed Hornets' defense again
It may have gone under the radar that White has had Charlotte's number for a while now. He has averaged 30.5 points per game in his previous four appearances against Buzz City at Spectrum Center. The North Carolina native, who also played college at the University of North Carolina, seems to love playing in his hometown.
However, quick point guards have usually fared well against the Hornets. To be fair, the squad has shown marked improvement on defense, as it will finish in the middle of the pack in average opponent points after securing bottom-10 rankings in that department in its previous three campaigns.
Still, the point-of-attack defense continues to be a glaring weakness for Charlotte. It just doesn't have the personnel to deal with elite ball-handlers, as Josh Green has failed to supply the defensive impact the team had likely hoped to see from him after it brought him in last offseason.
Maybe midseason acquisition Josh Okogie can make a huge difference for the Hornets in that area. It didn't take long for him to display his defensive prowess and more after moving to Queen City. Unfortunately, a hamstring injury caused him to miss nearly two months of action. His return from the sidelines coincided with the Hornets' pursuit of a higher 2025 draft pick, so he hasn't had the opportunity again to prove his value, particularly on defense, to the Hive.
It should be noted, though, that Charlotte has to find other ways to boost its point-of-defense attack via the draft, free agency, or the trade market this summer, especially since expected starters LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller aren't exactly defensive standouts. Otherwise, White and other players of similar archetypes will have a field day facing the Hornets.