The Charlotte Hornets loss their second game in a row. Monday’s game was a battle of the Ball brothers, with the Chicago Bulls winning 133-119.
“Obviously we are brothers and it’s all love off the court,” Lonzo Ball said. “But on the court, like I said, he got a job he got to do, I got a job I got to do.”
“I mean we’ve been talking about the NBA since we were little boys,” LaMelo said. “Just going out there and playing against him, always a dream come true, for real.”
The two teams played a very entertaining first half. Terry Rozier scored 15 points in the first half and P.J. Washington came off the bench hitting five 3-pointers for the Hornets. Nikola Vucevic, DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso were all connecting on their midrange jump shots for the Bulls. The first quarter ended with Charlotte leading by one, 31-30.
The Ball brothers got in foul trouble in the second quarter, but Lonzo got the better of his younger brother LaMelo with 5:06 left in the quarter. He rejected his shot at the basket, which led to a fast break dunk by Javonte Green.
The Bulls went on a 9-0 run as Jalen McDaniels missed three straight shot attempts on the Hornets final three possessions. Zach LaVine found Vucevic for a 3-pointer at the buzzer. At the end of the second quarter, the Bulls led by eleven, 69-58.
Rozier and the Hornets started the third quarter off well on the offensive end of the court, but they could not defend Chicago. The offense eventually went silent and the defense did not get any better. The Bulls extended their lead out to 20 with just over four minutes remaining in the quarter. The deficit was 19 by the start of the final quarter, 104-85.
DeRozan hit an 18-foot jump shot to start the quarter for the Bulls. From the end of the first quarter to the beginning of the fourth, the Bulls shot a blistering 29-of 42 from the floor (69%).
Gordon Hayward scored consecutive points and then LaMelo made a tough driving layup to pull the Hornets within single digits. LaMelo found Hayward a few minutes later and then cut the lead to four and they forced Bulls coach Billy Donovan to call a timeout.
The Bulls went on a 9-0 run to separate themselves from the Hornets coming out of the timeout. The teams played an even quarter, but that did not help the Hornets. They surrendered over 130 points for the second game in a row.
“Disappointed tonight in our defense,” Charlotte coach James Borrego said. “We just got to correct it.”
Chicago shot a season-high 59.6% from the field and had five players score in double figures. Nikola Vucevic has a season-best 30 points to go along with 14 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocked shots. DeMar DeRozan scored 28 points, had 5 rebounds and 6 assists. Zach LaVine finished with 25 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Lonzo Ball contributed 16 points, had 1 rebound and 8 assists. Alex Caruso scored 14 points, 3 rebounds and 7 assists off the bench.
Terry Rozier had a game high 31 points, 2 rebounds and 4 assists for the Hornets. Gordon Hayward scored 22 points with 6 rebounds and 2 assists. LaMelo Ball contributed 18 points, 7 rebounds and 13 assists. Kelly Oubre Jr. had 18 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists and P.J. Washington scored 15 points and 3 rebounds, both off the bench.
The Bulls travel to the Big Apple to take on the Knicks on Thursday. The teams split their first two meetings, both in Chicago. The Hornets travel to Milwaukee to face the defending champions on Wednesday. It is the first meeting of the teams this season.
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