GAME NIGHT FROM ATLANTA: Bulls: (1-4, 0-3 on the road) at Atlanta (2-2, 1-0 at home).
TV: NBC Sports Chicago: Andy Demetra, Stacey King - 6:30PM.
RADIO: 670 The Score: Chuck Swirsky, Bill Wennington, Steve Kashul - 6:15 pre.
LEADING SCORERS: Bulls: LaVine - 29 ppg. Atlanta: Prince and Young each at 21ppg.
LEADING REBOUNDERS: Bulls: Felicio - 6 per. Atlanta: Bembry and Len each with 6 per.
LEADING ASSISTS: Bulls: Arcidiacono - 5 per. Atlanta: Young - 7 per.
CCI PREVIEW: The Bulls rolled into ATL around midnight. The Hawks are fresh, having last played at home Wednesday. The Hawks rallied from a 26 point deficit to take down the Mavs. ATL is in a major rebuild, but the core has tremendous potential in John Collins (out with an ankle injury), Taurean Prince (avg. 21 per game) and the NCAA POY, drafted fifth overall, in Trae Young from Oklahoma. The Hawks have poured a ton of money into the newly named arena and Hawks owners are committed to making this franchise a competitive one, which is good for the NBA.
CCI MATCHUP OF THE NIGHT: Cam Payne-Trae Young. Young is averaging 21 points and 7 assists. He's committed 14 turnovers and collected 13 assists. He's competitive and plays hard....he's got a lot of Steph Curry mannerisms and like Curry, will pull up from 30 feet and attempt a three ball.
CCI IN A TIME MACHINE: Tonight I'll be watching Vince Carter play with his 8th NBA team. I had the good fortune to call every one of his 418 games in a Toronto uniform. He's now entering his 21st year in the NBA. Think about that—-21 years. After a spectacular first three seasons in the NBA, Carter sustained nagging injuries. Honestly, I thought he would be lucky to play 10 years, but he defied the odds changing his diet, workout program, etc. Maybe this season will be his last on the court, and if it is, his next stop will be in Springfield, MA in the Basketball Hall of Fame. The man known as "Air Canada", Carter put hoops on the map in that country and influenced thousands of young men and women to pick up the sport. That will be his legacy; not his All-Star Weekend Slam Dunk title in Oakland or his clutch game winning shots. Believe me, there were plenty. Congrats, Vince on an incredible career.
CCI RECAP:
FINAL FROM THE UNITED CENTER: Hornets 135, Bulls 106. (Bulls: 1-4, 0-3 on the road)
LEADING SCORERS: Bulls: LaVine - 20. Charlotte: Walker - 30
LEADING REBOUNDERS: Bulls: Hutchison - 7. Hornets: Batum - 8
LEADING ASSISTS: Bulls: Arcidiacono and LaVine each with 4. Charlotte: Parker - 8
CCI RECAP: After a nice start by the Bulls led by Cam Payne's 11 first quarter points, Charlotte took control scoring 45 second quarter points, 12 off the bench by veteran Tony Parker. The Hornets scored 64 points in the paint.
CCI QUOTE OF THE NIGHT: Fred Hoiberg: "I know we're throwing a lot of makeshift lineups out there. But I don't care. It's not an excuse to not bust your ass."
CCI 24 SECONDS - NBA NEWS and NOTES:
Toronto 116, Dallas 107: The Raptors are the 5th team in NBA history to start 6-0 and score 110+ points in each game. Toronto is off to its best start in franchise history.
Sacramento 116, Washington 112: The Wizards with poor execution down the stretch. Break up the Kings! SAC is 3-3.
Milwaukee 125, Minnesota 95: With rumors surrounding potential Jimmy Butler trades, Butler went 2-11 from the floor in a home court loss. Giannis with 15-12-6 in 23 minutes.
New Orleans 117, Brooklyn 115: The 5-0 Pelicans get it done. Jrue Holiday with the game winner with 0.3 on the clock. The Pelicans trailed by 5 with less than a minute left.
Golden State 128, New York 100: The Warriors outscored the Knicks 47-16 in the 4th quarter. The 31 points is the 3rd largest scoring margin in the 4th quarter of any game in the shot clock era. The Knicks led Golden State after three quarters. Kevin Durant with a 41-9-5 game, 25 points coming in the fourth quarter. DeMarcus Cousins was ejected after picking up a tech on the bench in street clothes.
Los Angeles Clippers 133, Houston 113: The Rockets fall to 1-3 getting blown out at home.
Detroit's Luke Kennard has an AC joint sprain in his right shoulder and will be out for at least two weeks, the team announces.
Thanks for reading CCI. Always a pleasure. Reach me at cswirsky@bulls.com or Twitter: @ctsbulls