Takeaways & Player Grades: Charlotte Hornets 112, Chicago Bulls 99

Once again handed a great opportunity to move back over .500, the Chicago Bulls handed it right back with a 112-98 loss to the Charlotte Hornets. Worst of all, they were beaten by their own game, as the Hornets finished with plenty of fastbreak points and six players in double figures.

They have also now lost twice to the Hornets this season, bringing their record against the East's bottom six teams to 4-7. Good luck trying to figure out this team.

3 Takeaways

An Explosive First Quarter for the Bulls

If the Chicago Bulls were tired from last night's big win over the Orlando Magic, they didn't show it. Matas Buzelis picked up right where he left off after dishing a career-high 7 assists 24 hours earlier. He found Jalen Smith underneath the basket with an excellent feed from the top of the key before connecting with Nikola Vucevic for a 12-foot floater. Then, after a LaMelo Ball jumper, Buzelis cut hard to the rim for a powerful two-handed slam. It may not have been a poster, but it got fans out of their seat.

His hot start set the tone for the Bulls' offense, which proceeded to put together one of their best opening frames of the year. Charlotte was struggling to keep up with Chicago's tempo and struggling even more to keep them out of the paint. Down three of their centers and relying on 23-year-old PJ Hall, the Bulls started the night 11-13 from the restricted area.

Ayo Dosunmu was a major part of the early success. He scored or assisted on 14 points in the quarter's final 4:58 of action, and three of those points came on one of his best buckets of the season. With the buzzer about to sound, Dosunmu left his feet at the halfcourt line with Collin Sexton right in front of him. He double-pumped in mid-air before releasing the heave. The ball dropped through the net, and Dosunmu slid in celebration.

AYO DOSUNMU FROM HALFCOURT TO BEAT THE 1Q BUZZER! 😮 pic.twitter.com/f700KH6Vvn
— NBA (@NBA) January 4, 2026

The Bulls ended the quarter shooting a stunning 73.9 percent from the field. They assisted on 16 of their 17 made field goals, setting a new season-high for most dimes dished in any quarter this season. With a 39-27 advantage and victories in seven of their last nine games, this felt like a night where the Bulls might cruise.

PYSCH!

An Explosive Third Quarter for the Hornets

The Chicago Bulls followed up their dominant first quarter with just a 7-22 shooting display in the second quarter, leading to only a 58-50 halftime lead. But, wait, it gets worse!

They came out of the locker room acting like they just got out of the ice bath. The Hornets went on a quick 12-3 run to suddenly take a 62-61 lead. A few possessions later, they would string together another massive 14-0 run to bump the score up to 76-65. The Bulls went a full 5 minutes and 3 seconds without a single point scored. A Nikola Vucevic free throw broke the drought with a free throw at the 2:41 mark.

The Bulls ended the third quarter 5-23 from the field, which included an ugly 3-12 performance in the paint. Did the Hornets do a better job ramping up their physicality down low as this game went on? Sure, but it was still an unacceptable shooting display from a Bulls team that put up a season-high 80 points in the paint against this same defense in December.

Meanwhile, all you can do is tip your cap to the Hornets for taking full control of the scoring slump. This is a team that loves to chuck up threes, and they did that to the tune of seven made triples in the quarter. Brandon Miller knocked down three of those makes at the top of the key, while Miles Bridges continued to play the role of Bulls killer with two.

Charlotte ultimately outscored the Bulls 32-17 in the quarter to all but make up for their lopsided opening frame.

On the Wrong Side of Hustle Stats

While the Bulls should have been in a position to claw back in, their inability to control the hustle stats proved to be the real killer.

Despite missing three of their centers, Charlotte still destroyed Chicago on the offensive glass. They outrebounded the Bulls 13-6 and turned that into a 16-2 advantage in second-chance points. There is no question that the absence of Jalen Smith played a role in this discrepancy. The Bulls have leaned heavily on the double big lineup over the last couple of weeks, but a head-to-head collision with LaMelo Ball forced Smith to leave the game less than 2 minutes into the third quarter.

The Hornets also oddly beat the Bulls in the fastbreak department, 18-6. This group came into the night averaging only 12.7 fastbreak points a night, as well as ranking 24th in PACE. Add in the +9 advantage at the free throw line, and this is exactly how you win a game despite shooting a mere 43 percent from the field.

At the end of the day, this felt like a reflection of the Bulls' missing backcourt talent. When their offense needed a boost and someone to stop the bleeding, they didn't know where to turn.

Five Chicago Bulls Player Grades

Kevin Huerter of the Chicago Bulls — Jan 3, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Kevin Huerter (13) goes up for a shot against Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel (7) during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

Nikola Vucevic – A-
Stats: 28 PTS, 8 AST, 7 REB

All things considered, Nikola Vucevic did what he needed to against a team with a limited center rotation. He shot 11-15 from the field and 3-4 from downtown. Stacey King kept advocating for the Bulls to lean even more on the big man throughout the night, and maybe he had a point!

Ayo Dosunmu – B
Stats: 16 PTS, 4 AST, 4 REB

Ayo Dosunmu played a big part in getting the Bulls off to a hot start, and he ended the night shooting a very solid (and very typical) 7-12 shooting from the field. To be sure, he went cold with the rest of his team at times, but I still think there is a case to make that he should have been on the court to close things out.

Matas Buzelis – B-
Stats: 17 PTS, 8 REB, 3 AST

Matas Buzelis only shot 6-16 from the field, which included a 3-6 showing at the free throw line. However, it was hard not to respect his offensive aggressiveness, and he also grabbed half of the team's offensive boards.

Kevin Huerter – C
Stats: 9 PTS, 11 REB, 7 AST

It was the wrong night for Kevin Huerter to go 1-7 from downtown, but he still found a way to make an impact with his ball movement and rebounding. To be honest, I have been impressed all season long with his ability to play even bigger than he is.

Patrick Williams – D
Stats: 0 PTS, 3 REB, 1 STL

One night after one of his best performances of the season, Patrick Williams shoots 0-7 from the field and is held to just 15 minutes of action.