The Chicago Bulls will wrap up a three-game home stretch on Friday when they face the Charlotte Hornets, both teams returning to play after long breaks.
Both teams last played on Sunday, taking a four-day break after being eliminated from the NBA Cup. Charlotte finished 0-4 in East Group A, while the Bulls went 2-2 in Group C.
Charlotte comes back from a win, snapping an eight-game losing streak with a 113-109 victory over Indiana on Sunday. Brandon Miller led the Hornets with 26 points, including two crucial free throws with seven seconds left to seal the win.
That win was Charlotte’s first since losing guard LaMelo Ball to a calf strain. Ball had been on a hot streak, scoring between 32 and 50 points in four straight games before getting injured in the fourth quarter of a Nov. 27 loss to Miami.
Ball, who averages 31.1 points and 6.9 assists per game, will not play on Friday, but he is reportedly getting closer to returning.
Without LaMelo Ball, there won’t be a reunion of the Ball brothers on the court, as Chicago has had Lonzo Ball in the lineup for five of its last six games after a nearly three-year absence. Lonzo Ball scored a season-high nine points and recorded four assists in a 132-123 loss to Indiana on Dec. 6.
Adding to Charlotte’s troubles, they’ve also been without Tre Mann, LaMelo Ball’s backup, who has been sidelined since Nov. 23 with a back issue.
Hornets coach Charles Lee said the team’s performance staff has done a good job adjusting to the injuries, which also include forward Miles Bridges.
With both Ball and Mann out, Vasilije Milic has started at point guard for the past six games, scoring at least 13 points in four of them.
The Bulls head into Friday’s game on a two-game losing streak, after defeats to Indiana and Philadelphia, including a 108-100 loss to the 76ers on Sunday. Zach LaVine, the team’s top scorer with 22.1 points per game, scored 32 and 30 points in the two recent losses.
LaVine’s individual performance has been impressive, especially after a foot injury limited him to just 25 games last season. Before the injury, LaVine averaged at least 23.7 points per game over five seasons.
LaVine told the Chicago Sun-Times that while he may need to lead the offense at times, this season has been more about playing in spurts, and that’s not the team’s current style.
Nikola Vucevic, the second-leading scorer for the Bulls with 21 points per game, has had quiet games recently, scoring 13 points in each of the two losses. He had scored 39 points in a Dec. 5 win over San Antonio.
Vucevic is shooting a career-high 64.2 percent on 2-point attempts this season. Meanwhile, Charlotte’s defense has allowed opponents to shoot 55.8 percent from inside the 3-point arc, which could be an area the Bulls take advantage of.
