GAME NIGHT FROM CHARLOTTE: Bulls (26-39, 14-19 on the road) at Hornets: (32-33, 17-14 at home). 6PM.
RADIO: 670 The Score: Chuck Swirsky and Bill Wennington. 5:45pre.
TV: NBCSC: Adam Amin and Stacey King. 6PM
LEADING SCORERS: Bulls: LaVine: 27ppg. Hornets: Rozier: 20ppg
LEADING REBOUNDERS: Bulls: Vucevic: 10 per. Hornets: Washington: 6 per.
LEADING ASSISTS: Bulls: LaVine: 5per. Hornets: Graham: 5per.
SEASON SERIES: Bulls 2-0.
CCI PREVIEW: The return of Zach LaVine is great news for the struggling Bulls, losers of four straight, trailing Washington by 3 1/2 games for the final play in spot with seven games remaining.
LaVine will give the Bulls a much needed offensive surge and his mere presence will jump start a team that is in dire need of a jolt of energy with seven games remaining.
Nikola Vucevic went through practice on Wednesday and if there aren't any setbacks leading up to the game, look for him to return as well.
The Hornets are a banged up ballclub missing Gordon Hayward, Miles Bridges and perhaps Devonte Graham and PJ Washington. Look for Terry Rozier to shoot and shoot often tonight. LaMelo Ball is back after missing six weeks with a fractured hand injury. In his last three games he's averaging 16-6-6.
CCI NBA NEWS AND NOTES
Milwaukee 135, Washington 134. Pat Connaughton buried two big three pointers at crunch time. Russell Westbrook notched his 33rd triple-double of the season. The Bucks remain three games behind Philly in the Eastern Conference and trail second seed Brooklyn by two games.
Sacramento 104, Indiana 93. Marvin Bagley with a monster game of 31 points and 12 rebounds. The Pacers are 11-20 at home.
Denver 113, New York 94. Nikola Jokic scored 24 of his 32 points in the first quarter. The Nuggets have won 10 of 12. Coach Thibs picked up a technical foul 28 seconds in.
Philadelphia 135, Houston 115. The 76ers won their sixth straight. Joel Embiid scored 34 points in 25 minutes.
Atlanta 135, Phoenix 103. Seven Atlanta players scored in double figures.
Boston 132, Orlando 96. The Celtics took care of business on the road as Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum combined for 59 points.
Portland 141, Cleveland 105. Damian Lillard scored 32 points in 31 minutes.
Memphis 139, Minnesota 135. T-Wolves rookie Anthony Edwards scored a career high 42 points. He joins LeBron James and Kevin Durant as the only teenagers in NBA history with a 40-5-5 game. Ja Morant put up a 37-4-10 game.
Utah 126, San Antonio 94. The Jazz moved back in to first place in the Western Conference. Utah played without its starting backcourt of Donovan Mitchell and MIke Conley. The Spurs have lost five straight.
Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets have each been fined 35-thousand dollars for violating the NBA media access rules.
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