Charlotte Hornets at Chicago Bulls
· National Basketball AssociationCoby White scores 22 points as the Chicago Bulls beat the Charlotte Hornets 104-91
DeMar DeRozan added 17 points for Chicago, which had lost three of four. Andre Drummond grabbed 10 rebounds in his sixth consecutive game with double-digit boards.
LaVine scored 15 points while playing almost 30 minutes in his first game since Nov. 28. Vucevic had 11 points and seven rebounds in 25 minutes while also playing as a reserve.
LaVine was sidelined for 17 games because of inflammation in his right foot. Vucevic missed the past five games with a strained left adductor.
“Physically, all good, you just have to catch your wind ... but I felt good. I'm going to get my wind over the next couple of games,” LaVine said. “I think I did good. Missed a couple of open shots that I thought I should make, but other than that, I tried to go out there and play as hard as I could.”
Bridges scored 28 points for the Hornets, who closed out a 1-5 road trip. Terry Rozier had 15 points on 5-for-17 shooting, and Cody Martin finished with 13 points.
“It was a challenging trip, but actually the guys did well," Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. “I thought we played a little tired tonight but we hung in there.”
While LaVine and Vucevic returned, Alex Caruso and Patrick Williams were late scratches for Chicago. Caruso was sidelined by a sore neck, and Williams has an ankle injury.
Vucevic said he might be back in the starting lineup on Monday against Charlotte without a minute restriction.
“I think it was just the first game kind of figuring out my minutes and stuff, but since everything went fine I think going forward it shouldn't be an issue,” Vucevic said.
LaVine made his presence felt at the end of the first half. He went in for a breakaway dunk and followed with a 3-pointer to give the Bulls a 47-41 lead at the break.
“I thought our transition defense really hurt us tonight, too,” Clifford said.
Chicago pulled away when it opened the fourth quarter with a 16-4 run. Ayo Dosunmu made a 3-pointer and followed that up with another basket, and DeRozan converted a three-point play to make it 90-73 with 7:41 left.
After scoring 34 points in Tuesday’s win at Sacramento, Rozier didn’t get on the board until he made two foul shots with 9:52 left in the third quarter. He scored 11 points in the period, including a four-point play that trimmed Chicago’s lead to 74-69 going into the fourth.
Hornets rookie Brandon Miller was back in the starting lineup after missing Tuesday’s game with a bruised left hip, but LaMelo Ball (right ankle sprain), Gordon Hayward (left calf strain), Mark Williams (bruised lower back) and Frank Ntilikina (left tibia fracture) remained out.
PJ Washington left the game in the first quarter with a right ankle injury.
Miller finished with nine points.
UP NEXT
The Hornets host the Bulls on Monday night.
Regular Season Series
CHI leads series 2-0
Recent Plays
| 4th 0.0 | ![]() |
End of Game | 91 - 104 |
| 4th 0.0 | ![]() |
End of the 4th Quarter | 91 - 104 |
| 4th 2.0 | ![]() |
shot clock turnover | 91 - 104 |
| 4th 26.0 | ![]() |
shot clock turnover | 91 - 104 |
| 4th 48.0 | ![]() |
Zach LaVine defensive rebound | 91 - 104 |
Statistics
CHA |
CHI |
|
|---|---|---|
| 36-89 | FG | 40-74 |
| 40 | Field Goal % | 54 |
| 10-34 | 3PT | 10-28 |
| 29 | Three Point % | 36 |
| 9-12 | FT | 14-17 |
| 75 | Free Throw % | 82 |
| 42 | Rebounds | 41 |
| 12 | Offensive Rebounds | 4 |
| 30 | Defensive Rebounds | 37 |
| 20 | Assists | 29 |
| 7 | Steals | 7 |
| 1 | Blocks | 6 |
| 11 | Turnovers | 14 |
| 2 | Team Turnovers | 1 |
| 13 | Total Turnovers | 15 |
| 1 | Technical Fouls | 1 |
| 1 | Total Technical Fouls | 1 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 19 | Points Conceded Off Turnovers | 16 |
| 10 | Fast Break Points | 25 |
| 36 | Points in Paint | 48 |
| 20 | Fouls | 17 |
| 5 | Largest Lead | 21 |
Chicago Bulls Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| Josh Giddey, G | Day-To-Day | Dec 27 |
| Noa Essengue, F | Out | Dec 3 |
Charlotte Hornets Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| Kon Knueppel, G | Day-To-Day | Dec 26 |
| Mason Plumlee, C | Out | Dec 25 |
| Ryan Kalkbrenner, C | Out | Dec 25 |
| Grant Williams, F | Out | Dec 13 |
Game Information
Location: Chicago, IL
Attendance: 21,345 · Capacity:
2025-26 Southeast Standings
| TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Orlando |
17 | 14 | .548 | - | L1 |
Miami |
16 | 15 | .516 | 1 | W1 |
Atlanta |
15 | 17 | .469 | 2.5 | L5 |
Charlotte |
11 | 20 | .355 | 6 | W2 |
Washington |
6 | 23 | .207 | 10 | W1 |
NBA News
Sources: Giannis Antetokounmpo expected to return vs. Bulls
Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is expected to play Saturday night against the Bulls as long as he clears his pregame routine without any issues, sources confirmed to ESPN.
Washington hosts Memphis in cross-conference matchup
Memphis Grizzlies (15-16, ninth in the Western Conference) vs. Washington Wizards (6-23, 14th in the Eastern Conference)
Bulls play the Bucks on 5-game win streak
Milwaukee Bucks (12-19, 11th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Chicago Bulls (15-15, ninth in the Eastern Conference)
Denver visits Orlando following Jokic's 56-point outing
Denver Nuggets (22-8, third in the Western Conference) vs. Orlando Magic (17-14, sixth in the Eastern Conference)
Toronto faces Golden State on 5-game home slide
Golden State Warriors (16-15, eighth in the Western Conference) vs. Toronto Raptors (18-14, fourth in the Eastern Conference)





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