On the night of Jan. 22, it was the squad under first-year head coach Billy Donovan that won the day in North Carolina. On the road to start off a busy weekend for the Chicago Bulls, the team got the best of the Charlotte Hornets in a key game. The Bulls and Hornets met on Jan. 22, with each team coming in with a record of 6-8.
Donovan and the Bulls got off to a strong start in this first meeting on the season with the Hornets. Heading into the locker room at halftime, the Bulls held a nearly double digit lead. But the problem for the Bulls often early in this regular season slate is keeping those second half leads, and not completely collapsing especially on the defensive end of the floor.
The Bulls didn’t waiver down the stretch in this game, though. A strong second half performance, especially from the Bulls bench, got them the win over the Hornets by the comfortable final score of 123-110.
What pushed the Bulls to nab this win over the Hornets was the solid play from most of the starting five and the bench that’s come in so clutch of late. The Bulls got a solid 23 point outing from fourth-year power forward Lauri Markkanen. Along with his 23 points, Markkanen registered two rebounds and one block. He shot an efficient 10-of-17 from the field and 3-of-8 from beyond the arc.
The leading scorer for the Bulls on this night was the star shooting guard Zach LaVine. Posting a team-high 25 points, LaVine was also very efficient for his team. He also registered six rebounds, nine assists, one steal, and one block. He shot 8-of-12 from the field, 3-of-6 from beyond the arc, and a perfect 6-of-6 from the free-throw line.
What the Chicago Bulls bench did vs. Hornets
Coming off the bench, two of the most clutch players for the Bulls once again were veteran shooting guard Garrett Temple and forward Thaddeus Young. Another key player off the bench in this game was small forward Otto Porter Jr. Both Temple and OPJ scored in double figures coming off the bench.
It was a challenging feat for the Bulls to slow down the star forward Gordon Hayward in this game. Hayward was the leading scorer in this outing individually, as he registered 34 points. To go along with his game-high 34 points, Hayward registered six rebounds, four assists, and two steals. He shot 12-of-20 from the field, 2-of-6 from beyond the arc, and 8-of-10 from the free-throw line.
Hayward was the only player in this game to score more than 25 points. But it was a team effort that pushed the Bulls over the Hornets in the end. The bench is proving to be one of the most crucial parts of this team for Donovan and his staff.
After knocking off the Hornets by a sizable 13-point margin on Jan. 22, the Bulls have now won three games in a row. Next up for LaVine, Markkanen, and the Bulls is a battle with the defending NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers at home at the United Center on Jan. 23.