Hornets winning streak ends at one with disappointing loss in Chicago

Charlotte returns home from Chicacgo with the all-too-familieat losing feeling.

Matt Alquiza | 3 Hours Ago

Matt Marton-Imagn Images

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Charlotte Hornets

The Charlotte Hornets came out of the gates looking like a team that hadn't played a game since Sunday. Charles Lee's squad was rusty for most of the night, attempting to shake off the cobwebs that developed over the extended layoff.

A trip to face the upstart Bulls was always going to be an uphill battle, but it steepened as they dominated the first quarter. Chicago's Ayo Dosunmu ripped of twelve points and a pair of assists in the opening stanza, getting whatever he wanted from wherever he wanted on the floor. As the game progressed, his Chicago teammates picked up where he left off, handling the Hornets at a 10-ish point stiff arm for the following three quarters with a wholistic effort.

For the Hornets, the return of Tidjane Salaün and Miles Bridges to the lineup failed to solve the team's offensive woes. Charlotte has trotted out a below-average offense for most of the season, a truth that can be chalked up to the constant switching of starting lineups and rotations due to injuries, but a mostly healthy lineup couldn't crack the code of Chicago's switch-heavy defensive scheme.

Best of the night: Mark Williams is back with a vengance

Williams, in his first start in over a year, reminded fans of his two-way potential. He still has the "didn't play for nearly 365 days funk" to his game, biting on pump fakes and allowing the Bulls easy offensive boards with poor positioning, but Williams was electric on the offensive end.

The big fella finished his night with 15 points and nine rebounds in a season high 17 minutes of action. As his workload increases, so will his impact. Mark Williams threw down a bevy of hammer dunks and hauled in contested rebounds on both ends with the vengeance of a man on a mission. Encouraging stuff.

Worst of the night: Three point shooting

Chicago is famously referred to as the Windy City and there must have been an odd breeze when the Hornets were taking their jump shots tonight. It was as ugly of a shooting performance as the Hornets have put up all season. The team as a whole finished 8 of 46 from deep, with starters Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges, and Vasilije Micic contributing a woeful 4 for 28 on three-point attempts. Yikes.

Stat of the night: 16 minutes for Isaiah Wong

Wong continues to impress in his limited minutes, so much so that he has jumped K.J. Simpson, Seth Curry, and Nick Smith Jr. in Charles Lee's rotation in his limited time with the Hornets. The jitterbug point guard bring an ability to draw fouls at the rim that no Charlotte guard sans-LaMelo Ball provides. His willingness to put his head down and attack the cup continues to open up good looks for himself and his teammates, a trait will continue to earn him minutes as Charlotte gets healthier.