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Charlotte Outshines Chicago

By Sam Perley, hornets.com

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Result
Looking to win their first season series over Chicago since the 2008-09 NBA campaign, the Hornets put together another dominant home performance against the visiting Bulls, tallying a 108-91 win on Monday, Feb. 8, in Charlotte. With their fourth victory in the last five games, the Hornets have now evened their record back to .500 for the first time since Jan. 4. Kemba Walker finished with a game-high 30 points for the Hornets while Pau Gasol finished with 22 points for Chicago in the loss.   

Turning Points
Charlotte sprinted out to a commanding 38-20 lead over the Bulls by the end of the first, which established a new season high for points in the opening quarter. During the first 12 minutes of the game, the Hornets connected on 14-of-24 shots from the field (58.3 percent), which included hitting 5-of-9 attempts from long distance (55.6 percent). Chicago came alive in the second quarter but barely cut into the deficit as it entered halftime trailing, 57-42. From that point, the Bulls were able to go on a handful of runs here and there in the second half but never posed a threat to the Hornets as they ended their seven-game road trip with their third-straight loss.

Inside the Box Score
Kemba Walker tallied a game-high 30 points, seven rebounds and a team-high-tying eight assists for the Hornets… Michael Kidd-Gilchrist notched a season-high 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting to go along with seven rebounds and two blocks… Nicolas Batum recorded his second-consecutive double-double and team-high-tying ninth overall on the season as he finished with 19 points, a season-high 13 rebounds and a team-high-tying eight assists… Spencer Hawes chipped in 13 points and eight rebounds off the bench for his second-straight double-digit scoring performance… Pau Gasol led the Bulls in scoring (22 points), rebounding (10) and assists (seven)… Doug McDermott knocked down 14 points off the bench… E’Twaun Moore finished with 12 points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals… Taj Gibson added 11 points and seven rebounds… Charlotte won the battle on the boards, 56-41… The Hornets connected on 14-of-36 attempts from three-point range (38.9 percent) for their 29th game of the season with 10-or-more three-pointers (had just 16 such games combined the last two seasons).  

Hornets Player of the Game
Kemba Walker shined for the Hornets, finishing with a game-high 30 points, seven rebounds, a team-high-tying eight assists and a game-high three steals in the win. Walker also passed Glen Rice in the third quarter for fourth place on the franchise’s all-time leading scoring list (5,651 points).

Bulls Player of the Game
Pau Gasol tallied team highs in scoring (22 points), rebounding (10) assists (seven), steals (two) and blocks (three) for the visiting Bulls. This is Gasol’s 29th double-double of the season, which is tied-for-fifth overall in the NBA.

Game Notes
Jimmy Butler (knee), Nikola Mirotic (appendicitis, hematoma), Joakim Noah (shoulder) and Derrick Rose (general soreness) did not play for Chicago…  Cody Zeller knocked down the second three-pointer of his career in the third quarter… Charlotte beat the Bulls three times in a single season for the first time since 2001-02 (won all four).

Next Up
The Hornets are back on the road to take on the Pacers at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 10 in Indianapolis. This game can be seen on FOX Sports Southeast or heard on WFNZ or on the official Charlotte Hornets mobile app.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist Postgame Twinterview
Following the win against the Chicago Bulls, the Hornets Michael Kidd-Gilchrist sat down to answer your Twitter questions for a post game “Twinterview"