The Chicago Bulls defeated the Charlotte Hornets 109-95 on Friday, controlling the game almost from start to finish with a strong defensive effort to end their three-game homestand.
Chicago opened with a 12-2 run in the first quarter, with Ayo Dosunmu leading the charge. Dosunmu, who scored a team-high 19 points, contributed seven consecutive points during this early stretch.
He was one of six Bulls players in double figures, including all five starters. Coby White added 18 points, scoring half of them in the final five minutes to help keep the Hornets at a distance.
Josh Giddey also had a solid all-around game with 17 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, and four steals. Zach LaVine scored 13 points, while Jalen Smith, starting in place of the ill Nikola Vucevic, posted 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Smith also contributed to the Bulls’ strong defense with five blocks, helping hold the Hornets to just 35.7% shooting and a poor 8-for-46 (17.4%) from beyond the arc.
Lonzo Ball finished with 10 points off the bench and also recorded seven rebounds and four assists. He was the only Ball brother playing that night, with Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball still out due to a calf injury.
Chicago maintained a lead that ranged from 10 to 18 points for most of the game, although Charlotte briefly made it close early in the second quarter. Miles Bridges, in his first game since Nov. 19 after recovering from a knee injury, helped Charlotte pull within three points with a layup to start the second quarter. He finished with 14 points.
The Hornets managed to trim the lead to eight points in the fourth quarter, but an 8-0 run from the Bulls, with Ball scoring five of those points, sealed the win.
Brandon Miller led Charlotte with 21 points but struggled with shooting, going just 3-for-15 from three-point range and committing a game-high seven turnovers. Mark Williams shot 6-for-7 from the field, adding 15 points and nine rebounds, but the Hornets fell for the ninth time in their last 10 games.
