Hornets: OUT -Tre Mann (back), Grant Williams (knee); QUESTIONABLE – Brandon Miller (ankle), LaMelo Ball (wrist, ankle), Cody Martin (knee)
Bulls: Doubtful – Ayo Dosunmu (foot); Doubtful – Jalen Smith (ankle); PROBABLY – Zach Lavine (toe), Josh Giddey (ankle)
The Hornets (7-24) are back home on Monday, this time hosting conference foe Chicago Bulls (14-18) in the final game of the calendar year for both teams.
The Hornets are coming into the matchup losers of seven straight games, a streak that started with a 109-95 loss to Chicago on Dec. 13. With key players like LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller questioning their suitability for the game, the offensive duo of Miles Bridges and Mark Williams may have to carry a heavier workload than usual.
If LaMelo Ball were able to prepare for tonight’s match, it would be the first time he and his older brother Lonzo have faced off since November 29, 2021.
The Bulls are 4-3 in that same span, including a 116-111 loss to the reigning NBA Cup champion Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday. With trade rumors swirling and a record under 500, much of the future is currently up in the air in Chicago.
When it comes to shooting three-pointers, only the Boston Celtics have attempted more this season than the Bulls or Hornets. The same Celtics are the only team to score a greater percentage of their points from deep than Chicago’s 41.8% or Charlotte’s 41.3%.
In fact, these two teams live and die by the three-point shot so much that in the last game, these teams set the NBA record for missed three-pointers in a game with a total of 75 (!) misses from deep.
The players listed as out or questionable for Charlotte in this game combine for 35.8 3PA per game, led by LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller’s 13.0 and 11.0 attempts per game, respectively.
If a shorthanded Hornets team wants to keep up with Chicago’s top-10 3P%, coming up with an offensive plan for both shooting and defending the deep ball will be paramount.
|
Position |
Charlotte Hornets |
Chicago Bulls |
|---|---|---|
|
PG |
Vasilije Micic |
Josh Giddey |
|
S.G |
Isaiah Wong |
Coby White |
|
SF |
Jos Green |
Zach Lavine |
|
P.F |
Miles of bridges |
Patrick Williams |
|
c |
Mark Williams |
Nikola Vucevic |
Charles Lee reveals his message to the Hornets during tough times
Mark Williams says the Hornets have forgotten what it feels like to win
In the Hornets’ attempt to shock the NBA world and upset SGA, the Thunder are falling short
The loss of Grant Williams has become the defining moment of another disappointing Charlotte Hornets campaign
Leave a Reply