By Sam Perley, hornets.com
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The Result
The Hornets remained unbeaten in the preseason as they pulled away late in the fourth to notch a 94-86 win over the Chicago Bulls on Monday, Oct. 19 in Charlotte. With a perfect 6-0 record so far in exhibition games, the Hornets have now set a new record for most wins in a single preseason in franchise history. Kemba Walker led the way for Charlotte with a preseason-high 22 points while Jimmy Butler tallied a team-high 18 points for the Bulls in the defeat.
Turning Points
For the second game in a row, it took a late fourth-quarter surge for the Hornets to pull away from their opponent, which started with a big Kemba Walker 3-pointer to give Charlotte a 90-84 lead with just under three minutes remaining in the game. This was the start of an 8-0 run for Charlotte as it quickly built a double-digit lead over the Bulls with less then a minute remaining in the game. Chicago would never get any closer than eight as the Hornets defense locked down the Bulls offense in the closing seconds to preserve the win.
Inside the Box Score
Kemba Walker connected on 8-of-16 shooting from the field for a preseason-high 22 points. Walker has now scored in double figures in five of Charlotte’s six preseason games so far… Jeremy Lin came off the bench to tally preseason highs in both points (18) and rebounds (8) and also led the Hornets with a team-high five assists… Nicolas Batum matched his preseason-high with 14 points and has now scored in double figures in four of five preseason games… P.J. Hairston also finished in double figures with 11 points in his first game back from a calf injury… Marvin Williams tacked on eight points and a preseason-high seven rebounds… Al Jefferson finished with nine points, five rebounds and a preseason-high three assists… Jimmy Butler (18), Taj Gibson (14), Nikola Mirotic (13), Joakim Noah (12) and Bobby Portis (12) all scored in double figures for Chicago… Noah also led the Bulls in both rebounds (13) and assists (7)… Gibson and Mirotic both had nine rebounds, which were preseason highs for both players… Chicago won the rebounding battle, 56-45. Charlotte also allowed a preseason-high 13 offensive rebounds to the Bulls… It was a tough night at the free-throw line for both teams as Charlotte converted 20-of-32 free-throw attempts (62.5 percent) while Chicago made just 16-of-24 shots from the line (66.7 percent).
Hornets Player of the Game
Jeremy Lin had a stellar performance off the bench as he finished with a preseason-high 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field, a preseason-high and team-high eight rebounds and another team-high five assists in 25 minutes of play. Lin has now scored in double figures in all five preseason games that he has played.
Bulls Player of the Game
Joakim Noah put together a fantastic all-around performance as he tallied his first double-double of the preseason finishing with 12 points as well as preseason and team highs in both rebounds (13) and assists (7). Noah connected on 8-of-15 free-throw attempts, which was two shy of tying Portland’s Damian Lillard for the most free-throw attempts by any player in a NBA preseason game this year.
Game Notes
Charlotte’s Kemba Walker left the game in the first quarter (heel) but did return… Jeremy Lamb left the game in the first quarter and did not return (ankle)… Pau Gasol (rest) and Derrick Rose (eye) did not play for Chicago… Bulls starting point guard, Kirk Hinrich, fouled out with 8:19 remaining in the fourth quarter… Chicago returns to preseason play with a home matchup against the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday, Oct. 20.
Next Up: The Hornets hit the road to take on the Pistons at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 21 in
Detroit. The game can be heard on WFNZ or on the official Charlotte Hornets mobile app.