Charlotte Hornets Gameday: at Chicago Bulls
8 p.m., United Center
TV: Fox Sports Southeast Radio: WFNZ-AM 610.
Projected Starters
Hornets | Bulls | |||||
Pos, Player | PPG | RPG | Pos, Player | PPG | RPG | |
G K. Walker | 17.6 | 3.6 | G D. Rose | 13.4 | 3.4 | |
G N Batum | 16.8 | 6.3 | G J. Butler | 20.3 | 5.1 | |
F P. Hairston | 4.2 | 2.2 | F T. Snell | 6.3 | 3.2 | |
F M. Williams | 10.1 | 6.9 | F N. Mirotic | 12.6 | 6.5 | |
C C. Zeller | 6.8 | 4.9 | C P. Gasol | 13.7 | 10.3 | |
Matchup to Watch
Jimmy Butler vs. P.J. Hairston/Nic Batum: Butler improved last season from a very good player into a star. The Hornets try not to ask Batum to guard the opposing team’s primary scorer until the fourth quarter to avoid foul trouble.
Observations
▪ The Bulls have been bringing Joakim Noah off the bench in order to use Nikola Mirotic as a power forward to stretch the floor. But Noah still impacts the game in a major way as a rebounder and ballhandler.
▪ The Hornets drilled the Bulls by 25 in the first game of the series this season, then the Bulls won a rematch in Chicago by five.
Tap-ins
▪ This is the first road game the Hornets have played since Nov. 17 in New York. The seven-game homestand was the longest in franchise history.
▪ Butler has at least one steal in his last 24 games, the longest such streak in the NBA.
Did you know?
The Bobcats/Hornets haven’t won a season series with the Bulls since the 2008-09 season.
Rick Bonnell
This story was originally published December 4, 2015 at 7:49 PM with the headline "Charlotte Hornets Gameday: at Chicago Bulls."