It was the kind of game one can expect when two of the NBA's worst defenses meet. With most of the Hornets' primary offensive weapons sitting this one out, the Bulls took more advantage of the lack of defense being played.
Charlotte put up a fight in the first, behind solid shooting from deep and nine points by Jusuf Nurkic off the bench. Despite a good field goal percentage of 50% for the Hornets, the Bulls led 29-28 after ten as they converted on 57% of their shots.
Things really took a turn for the worse as halftime approached. Coby White, who had only scored two measly points in the first quarter, caught fire. The former Tar Heel put up 18 points in the second, including a three that beat the halftime buzzer and brought the Bulls lead up to 75-55.
There wasn't much doing in the second half, either. Every time a slight momentum shift seemed to be imminent, Chicago made a big play through Coby White or Josh Giddey and pulled away some more. That didn't stop Charles Lee's squad from hustling until the final buzzer, although with limited success.
Nikola Vucevic and Zach Collins make up one of the league's worst defensive center rotations, and the Hornets exposed that weak spot all night long. Mark Williams (22pts), Jusuf Nurkic (18pts), and Moussa Diabate (8pts) all had their way inside, and Charlotte actually outscored Chicago in the paint (64-60).
The Bulls are a team that can get hot quickly, so preventing them from doing so is key. The Hornets did not do a good job at that for the most part, losing track of shooters in transition way too often. Chicago scored 26 fastbreak points to Charlotte's five.
tuff lay from seth@sdotcurry | @FDSN_Hornets pic.twitter.com/fWMjYgU6yQ
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) April 6, 2025
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