Charlotte Hornets vs Chicago Bulls Game Preview

The Hornets look to win their fourth game in a row as the season starts to come to a close.

Author:
Austin Leake
Mar 31, 2023 10:28 AM EDT

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INJURY REPORT:

HORNETS: QUESTIONABLE: Kelly Oubre Jr (Shoulder), Dennis Smith Jr (Toe), DOUBTFUL: Gordon Hayward (Thumb), OUT: Terry Rozier (Foot), Cody Martin (Knee), LaMelo Ball (Ankle)

BULLS: QUESTIONABLE: Alex Caruso (Foot), Andre Drummond (Personal), Javonte Green (Knee)

GAME PREVIEW:

The shorthanded Charlotte Hornets take on the Chicago Bulls for the first game of their four-game homestand. The Hornets are currently on a three-game winning streak, which came against the Dallas Mavericks twice and the Oklahoma City Thunder. During the Hornets' winning streak they have been without their usual players, but they have still found a way to come out on top. One reason why is because of how well they've played in the clutch. Since the All-Star break, the Hornets have been the most clutch team in the league with a record of 8-1.

For most of those games, the Hornets have been without their young star LaMelo Ball, which makes it more impressive. The Hornets have given some of their younger players a bigger role to end the season and so far it couldn't have gone any better. One of the Hornets players receiving a bigger role is PJ Washington, who is coming off of a career-best performance of 43 points, In his last three games, Washington is averaging 30 points per game, along with 8.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists. He's also shooting the ball at a high level, shooting 52.9% from the field and 40.0% from three.

One of the biggest storylines for the Hornets is who are the centers that will be in the rotation and which center is the one that will be left out of the rotation. Steve Clifford has enforced a center lineup rotation where one center sits, while the other two play. Last game, Mark Williams was the player sitting while Kai Jones and Nick Richards played. For this game, the expectation is for Mark Williams to be back in the lineup, while Nick Richards plays and Kai Jones sits.

The Bulls have been one of the most inconsistent teams in the league this year. You never know what Chicago team you're going to get, which can almost be a scary thing. The Bulls are losers of their last two games and they can't afford to lose a third as they're just two games above the Wizards from falling out of the play-in tournament. One of the biggest factors where the Bulls hold an advantage over the Hornets is their bench. Their bench is highlighted by Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, Patrick Williams, and Derrick Jones Jr. The Hornets are very short-handed so their bench is relatively short, mainly featuring 2021 draft picks - JT Thor, Kai Jones, and James Bouknight.

Fun Fact: The home team is 3-0 in the head-to-head series between the Hornets and Bulls thus far.

KEY MATCHUP: The Hornets youth vs the Bulls veterans

The Hornets are eliminated from any form of playoff contention, while the Bulls are still fighting to try to stay in the play-in tournament. The Bulls are filled with a lot of veteran talent on their team. Just to name a few Demar Derozan, Nikola Vucevic, Patrick Beverley, Alex Caruso, and Zach Lavine. While on the other hand, the Hornets currently don't have a player in the lineup tonight that is older than 25 years old, which is certainly a crazy stat. Tonight will be the battle of the more experienced players versus the less-experienced players. The Hornets will need to use their youth and energy to take control of this game. In order to do so, the Hornets can't afford to turn the ball over.

Starting Fives
Position	Hornets	Bulls
Point Guard	Dennis Smith Jr.	Patrick Beverly
Shooting Guard	Svi Mykhailiuk	Alex Caruso
Small Forward	Bryce McGowens	Zach Lavine
Power Forward	PJ Washington	Demar Derozan
Center	Mark Williams	Nikola Vucevic