By Sam Perley, hornets.com
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Result
The Hornets got back on their feet after a tough loss to Golden State on Wednesday night, notching a hard-fought 102-96 victory over the Bulls on Saturday, Dec. 5, in Chicago. Seeking redemption after a close road loss to the Bulls on Nov. 13, the Hornets managed to pull out the victory this time around, becoming just the second team to win at the United Center this season. Nicolas Batum led all Hornets players with a team-high 24-points while Jimmy Butler had another big night against Charlotte, finishing with a game-high 25 points in the Chicago loss.
Turning Points
The third meeting of the season between Charlotte and Chicago would come down to the closing moments once again with the score tied, 94-94 with one minute remaining. Following a foul by Chicago’s Pau Gasol, Cody Zeller put the Hornets out in front with a pair of made free throws which was then followed up by a missed three-point shot on the other end by Nikola Mirotic. Charlotte would respond with a clutch Kemba Walker jumper with just under 30 seconds left to stretch its lead to four. Following a Bulls timeout, Jimmy Butler turned the ball over on the next Chicago possession, which eventually sent Walker to the free-throw line. After draining the first shot from the line, Walker’s next attempt hit off the rim but was tipped out by Marvin Williams and recovered by Charlotte, officially ending any chance of a last-second Chicago comeback.
Inside the Box Score
Nicolas Batum led all Hornets in points (24) and rebounds (11) and tied a team high with five assists. Batum also connected on 8-of-16 attempts from the field (4-of-6 from three-point range)… Kemba Walker tallied 17 points, six rebounds, and tied team highs in both assists (five) and steals (three)… Cody Zeller shined in the starting lineup as he finished with a season-high 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting along with eight rebounds and two assists… Spencer Hawes tied his season high with 14 points (3-of-4 from three-point range) and also chipped in seven rebounds and four assists off the bench… Jeremy Lamb scored in double figures once again, finishing with 10 points for his seventh-consecutive double-digit scoring performance… Marvin Williams did a little of everything for Charlotte, finishing with seven points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals… Jimmy Butler led all Bulls with 25 points on 8-of-18 shooting… Derrick Rose tallied 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists for his fifth-consecutive game scoring in double figures… Pau Gasol notched 13 points, a team-high 11 rebounds, four assists and a game-high four blocks for his third-straight double-double and ninth overall on the season… Doug McDermott also finished with 13 points… Joakim Noah added two points, 10 rebounds and a game-high six assists off the Chicago bench… Charlotte turned the ball over just nine times while the Bulls had 14 giveaways… Both teams shot exactly 37-of-89 from the field (41.6 percent)… The Bulls barely edged out the Hornets in the rebounding battle, 52-50.
Hornets Player of the Game
Nicolas Batum put together a masterful performance against the Bulls, finishing with a team-high 24 points (12 in the fourth quarter), a season-high-tying 11 rebounds and a team-high-tying five assists in the Hornets’ win. Batum recorded his fourth double-double of the season, which is just one shy of tying his total from the entire 2014-15 NBA campaign.
Bulls Player of the Game
Jimmy Butler had Charlotte’s number once again, tallying a game-high 25 points on 8-of-18 shooting (1-of-5 from three-point range), eight rebounds, two assists and two steals in the loss. Butler has now scored 25-or-more points in six games this season, three of which have come against the Hornets.
Game Notes
Chicago’s Pau Gasol played in the 1,000th regular season game of his NBA career… Charlotte snapped a two-game road-losing streak with the win while the Bulls saw their four-game home-winning streak come to an end… These teams will conclude their season series in Charlotte on Feb. 8, 2016.
Next Up
The Hornets return home to take on the Detroit Pistons at 7 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 7 in Charlotte. The game can be seen on FOX Sports Southeast or heard on WFNZ or on the official Charlotte Hornets mobile app.