Charlotte Hornets @ Chicago Bulls Game Preview

The Hornets look to get back to .500 with a win in the season's first game against the Chicago Bulls.

Game 8: Charlotte Hornets (3-4) vs Chicago Bulls (4-4)

The Charlotte Hornets looked well on their way to continuing their strong play after beating the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night during the first half of Monday's tilt with the Sacramento Kings, but the bottom fell out in the second half. The team was outscored by 22 points in the second half as they saw their 15 point lead vanish. Charlotte has been able to bounce back pretty nicely after each subpar performance so far this season, so I would expect to see them have a good showing against the Bulls on Wednesday night.

Chicago will be on the second night of a back-to-back, as they defeated the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night in Brooklyn. The Hornets will have the travel and rest advantage in this one and that could become an important factor because of their injuries the team is dealing with. When you are missing two starters and a regular member of the rotation, everyone else is playing much more than they normally would and exerting more energy to compensate. Having the rest advantage could really help the Hornets get out to a strong start.

This game was originally scheduled to be on national TV because a LaMelo vs Lonzo Ball matchup appeals to even the most casual NBA fan, but it was removed from the national schedule because of injuries to each of the stars. The Hornets will be without their all-start point guard again in this one, and Terry Rozier and Cody Martin are likely to continue to miss time as well. After scoring 29 points against the Nets on Tuesday, Zach Lavine could play on Wednesday against the Hornets despite he and the team being cautious about his surgically repaired knee. If he does play, he and DeMar DeRozan make up one of the most talented duos in the entire league. Both players are averaging over 20 points per game so far this season and will prove to be extremely difficult tests for the Hornets improved defense. Dennis Smith Jr has been nothing short of fantastic so far for the Hornets on both ends of the court, but the team will really need every ounce of his defense to help slow down Lavine and DeRozan.

PJ Washington's offense improvements have been much needed for Charlotte as they continue to miss their talented back-court partners. He has had two excellent offensive games in a row for a team that desperately needed it. He has been far more aggressive inside the arc recently than he ever has been which is a really good thing for him. The more he attacks the paint and works on his mid-range game, the better looks he will get from three. We all know how good of a shooter he can be, but continuing to add layers to his offensive game is exactly what he needed to do. He attempted 17 two-point shots against the Kings, making eight of them, which is far more than you are used to seeing PJ attempt. On a team with a limited ability to get into the paint and create rim pressure, watching Washington become more aggressive in that area has helped tremendously. If he can continue to improve his finishing and passing reads off the bounce, he can become a primary option for this team.

Most Important Area to Watch

The Hornets continue to struggle getting to the free throw line. In Monday's loss to the Kings, Sacramento shot double the amount of free throws as the Hornets and finished with 16 more points at the line. That is simply not a winning formula for any NBA team, and Charlotte needs to get better in this area. They are allowing teams to enter into the bonus far too early in quarters and aren't doing a good job of avoiding bad fouls once they are over the limit. On the other side, the lack of rim pressure is allowing the free throw disparity to be such a big problem. They are not getting to the line efficiently enough to make up for their fouling on the other end. Steve Clifford has mentioned the need to improve in this area numerous times after games so far this season, so look for them to start to show some signs of growth. The Hornets need to get this free throw attempts closer to even, especially while they are without Rozier and Ball to provide them with consistent scoring and play-making.

2022-2023 Team Stats

Points Per Game

CHA- 117.0

CHI- 112.1

FIeld Goal %

CHA- 47.1%

CHI- 45.1%

Assists Per Game

CHA- 28.4

CHI- 23.3

Rebounds Per Game

CHA- 46.0

CHI- 43.6

Charlotte's 2022-2023 Active Individual Stat Leaders:

Points Per Game: Gordon Hayward (18.9)

Assists Per Game: Dennis Smith Jr (6.4)

Rebounds Per Game: Mason Plumlee (7.1)

Blocks Per Game: PJ Washington (1.3)

Chicago's 2022-2023 Active Individual Stat Leaders:

Points Per Game: DeMar DeRozan (25.9)

Assists Per Game: DeMar DeRozan (4.6)

Rebounds Per Game: Nikola Vucevic (11.9)

Blocks Per Game: Nikola Vucevic (1.0)

Spread & Over/Under Picks

Spread: Chicago -6

I would play Charlotte here plus the six points. Steve Clifford has had the team bounce back after each poor performance so far this season. The second half against the Kings might have been the worst they have played so far, so I would expect to see them come out strong against a team that had to travel back home on the second night of a back-to-back. Even without Ball and Rozier, the Hornets have been very competitive, so I would expect that trend to continue and Charlotte to have a bounce back performance Wednesday night.

Over/Under: 226 points

Being that this is a second night of a back-to-back, I don't think the Bulls want to get into a fast pace game with Charlotte. Both teams have made conscious efforts to improve defensively this year, and I think you could see that come into play here and lead to a slower game with fewer points. Without the consistent scoring of Ball and Rozier, I would play the under in this one.

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