GAME NIGHT FROM THE UNITED CENTER
Charlotte ( 34-44, 13-25 on the road) at Bulls: ( 26-51, 16-22 at home)
TV: NBC Sports Chicago: Neil Funk and Stacey King 7PM tipoff.
RADIO: 560AM WIND Chuck Swirsky, Bill Wennington, Steve Kashul.
LEADING SCORERS: Bulls: Markkanen: 15 ppg. Hornets: Walker: 22 ppg.
LEADING REBOUNDERS: Bulls: Markkanen: 7. Hornets: Howard: 12.
LEADING ASSISTS: Bulls: Grant: 4. Hornets: Walker: 5.
SEASON SERIES: Charlotte 2-1.
LAST MEETING: February 27, 2018. Hornets 118 Bulls 103. Kemba Walker scored 31 points.
QUICK STATS: In three games vs Charlotte, Lauri Markkanen ids averaging 17 points , 8 rebounds. Justin Holiday in two games is averaging 22 ppg. vs Hornets.
CCI 24 SECONDS COMMENTARY: The Bulls are going for their third straight win as they continue to get a boost from their bench as the Bulls are playing practically the entire roster on a game by game basis. Look for that trend to continue in the final five games of the season.Lauri Markkanen has regained his shooting and scoring touch as he has registered two 20 point games in his last four contests. Markkanen’s average is now up to 15 points per game.
Kris Dunn and Zach LaVine’s seasons are over.
Dunn: 52 games. Avg. 29 min. 13 points, 4 reb. 6 assists .
LaVine: 24 games: Avg. 27 min. 16 ppg.
The Hornets are shopping for a new General Manager ( reportedly Mitch Kupchak) but hopefully not a new Head Coach. Steve Clifford is a terrific bench boss but this is the NBA and with it come the winds of change.
Dwight Howard is having monster year but as Rick Bonnell wrote in Monday’s Charlotte Observer, “ Is it time for a trade (Howard)?”
Howard has been moved several times over the past few years and he’s due 23.8 million next season. Kemba Walker was rumored to be headed to the Knicks at the trade deadline but remained in Charlotte and recently became the franchise’s all time leading scorer.
In other words, you’ve got a mixed bag of positives and negatives and Michael Jordan and his new GM will need to figure things out.
The NBA took the night off allowing the NCAA to showcase its national title game. Congratulations to Villanova winning the NCAA title, it’s second in three years.
13 NBA games on the schedule tonight.
NBA NEWS AND NOTES
Philadelphia owns a ten game win streak and Rookie of the Year candidate Ben Simmons is during the stretch he’s averaging a triple double of 13 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds per game.
Boston has a tough back to back starting tonight in Milwaukee followed up by a visit to Toronto. The Bulls get the Celtics in a third game in four nights encounter Friday in Boston.
Always a pleasure!