GAME NIGHT FROM CHARLOTTE
Bulls (1-3, 0-2 on the road) at Charlotte (2-3 , 0-1 at home)
TV: WGN: Andy Demetra, Stacey King 6PM CT.
RADIO: 670 THE SCORE: Chuck Swirsky, Bill Wennington, Steve Kashul. 5:45 CT pre.
LEADING SCORERS: Bulls: LaVine 32 ppg. Charlotte: Walker: 31 ppg.
LEADING REBOUNDERS: Bulls: Carter and Parker each with 5. Charlotte: Zeller: 6.
LEADING ASSISTS: Bulls: Arcidiacono: 5 per. Charlotte: Walker 5 per.
CCI PREVIEW. At this rate with so many players going down I may ask my man Bill Wennington to come out of retirement. The Bulls have lost two bigs in Markkanen and Portis, a wing three point shooter in Valentine and their starting point guard in Dunn. Opportunity is now presenting itself for players to showcase their skill set so bring it on.
The Hornets return home after four straight on the road so we will see how weary they are . No doubt they’ll look to be in a revenge mode following Wednesday’s loss. I also expect Kemba Walker to play with a healthy chip on his shoulder. Walker played well but not great against the Bulls. He is a tremendous player and can carry a club for long stretches of the season. But if Walker is having an average night, who else can step up for Charlotte?
CCI KEY MATCHUP OF THE NIGHT: Kemba Walker vs. Cameron Payne. I’m not expecting Payne to drain 7-3s tonight or score 21 points but his ability to run an offense and slow down Walker with help from his teammates is essential .
PORTIS UPDATE: The Bulls announced yesterday that an MRI has confirmed that forward Bobby Portis sustained a moderate sprain of the MCL of his right knee during the game vs. the Charlotte Hornets on Oct. 24. It is estimated he will be out for four-to-six weeks.
One has to believe Jabari Parker slides in to the starting forward position vacated by Portis but we’ll get a better feel for things after today’s shoot around here in Charlotte.
CCI 24 SECONDS NBA NEWS AND NOTES:
Boston 101 OKC 95. The Celtics rallied from a 16 point halftime deficit . Marcus Morris nailed a 3 ball with 27 seconds left to give the Celtics the lead at crunch time. The Thunder fall to 0-4.
Los Angeles Lakers 121 Denver 114. LeBron James first triple double as a Laker, 74th of his career. The Nuggets in the loss column for the first time this season.
Detroit 110 Cleveland 103. The Pistons remain unbeaten at 4-0 and the Cavs remain winless at 0-5. Andre Drummond with a 26-22 game. ESPN is reporting Luke Kennard suffered a shoulder injury and will undergo an MRI today.
Portland 128 Orlando 114. Damian Lillard scored 34 of his 41 in the second half.
Woj of ESPN is reporting the Rockets have re-entered the Jimmy Butler sweepstakes offering four future number one picks.
James Harden may miss some time with a hamstring issue.
Thanks for reading CCI. You can reach out at cswirsky@bulls.com or Twitter: @ctsbulls. Always a pleasure.