The Chicago Bulls are coming off a disappointing performance against the Cleveland Cavaliers with little time to regroup as they take on the Charlotte Hornets in the second night of a back-to-back Thursday evening.
Billy Donovan and his group find themselves in desperate need of a victory after the loss to the Cavs dropped them to 12th in the Eastern Conference. They trail the Toronto Raptors by half a game and the Washington Wizards by one full game entering Thursday night.
Both those teams have an off day, meaning the Bulls could make up some ground if they are able to beat the Hornets. That will be no easy task, though. Especially for this Bulls team that can’t seem to find any type of consistency on either side of the ball.
The Hornets and the Bulls will come into their matchup both having won four of their last ten games on the season. The game is extra important for the Bulls hopes of making the play in tournament when considering their schedule following the game with Charlotte.
They play a stretch of Eastern Conference contenders following the game against the Hornets. If they want to give themselves any type of real chance at making the playoffs, the game against the Hornets is essentially a must-win.
With that being said, we’re ready to highlight the keys to the Bulls picking up the much-needed win. We won’t include the general need that this team has had all season and still has moving forward — team defense.
Keys to the Chicago Bulls bouncing back against the Hornets: Coming out with a sense of urgency
This one is huge given their performance against the Cavaliers. That loss saw them score just 12 points in the opening quarter and proceed to never really make it a game again after that.
Without Zach LaVine, it can get a bit ugly for the Bulls offensively. Still, they have to avoid that tendency if they don’t want things to get out of hand quickly as they did against the Cavs.
Nikola Vucevic will need some first-quarter assistance. That will be from a combination of players but most notably needs to come from Coby White and Patrick Williams. Both players need to understand they are crucial as starters in getting the team’s offense going.
White will especially be big in this area. If he comes out aggressive it is an entirely different ballgame for the Bulls. If he doesn’t, things can get ugly quickly once again.