The Chicago Bulls will conclude a three-game homestand on Friday when they host the Charlotte Hornets, with both teams returning to action after lengthy breaks.
Both Charlotte and Chicago last played on Sunday, then went on a four-day hiatus due to their eliminations from the NBA Cup. The Hornets finished 0-4 in East Group A, while the Bulls went 2-2 in Group C.
Charlotte returns to competition after snapping an eight-game losing streak with a 113-109 victory over Indiana on Sunday. Brandon Miller led the Hornets with 26 points, including a pair of crucial free throws with seven seconds remaining to seal the win.
This victory was Charlotte’s first since losing guard LaMelo Ball to a calf strain. Ball had been on a tear, scoring between 32 and 50 points in four straight games before sustaining the injury in the fourth quarter of the Hornets’ November 27 loss to Miami.
Ball is averaging 31.1 points and 6.9 assists per game, both team highs. He is expected to remain out for Friday’s contest, though the Charlotte Observer reported on Wednesday that he is “inching closer” to a return.
With no LaMelo Ball, there will not yet be an on-court reunion of the Ball brothers, as Chicago’s Lonzo Ball has been in the lineup for five of the last six games following his return from a nearly three-year absence.
Lonzo Ball scored a season-high nine points and dished out four assists in a 132-123 loss to Indiana on December 6.
For Charlotte, compounding the absence of LaMelo Ball, the team has also been without Tre Mann, his backup at point guard, who has been sidelined since November 23 with disc irritation in his back.
Each injury necessitates lineup adjustments. Vasilije Milic has taken over starting point guard duties for the last six games with Ball and Mann out and has scored at least 13 points in four of them.
Chicago comes into Friday’s contest having lost its last two games before the four-day break, dropping decisions to Indiana and 108-100 to Philadelphia on Sunday. Zach LaVine, who is averaging a team-leading 22.1 points per game this season, scored 32 and 30 points in the two home defeats.
LaVine’s individual performance is reminiscent of a five-season stretch in Chicago before a foot injury limited him to 25 games last season. The two-time All-Star averaged at least 23.7 points per game in each of the five campaigns prior to last year.
Chicago’s second-leading scorer, Nikola Vucevic (21 ppg), had muted performances, scoring 13 points in each of the two recent defeats. He previously scored 39 points in a December 5 win over San Antonio.
Vucevic is shooting a career-best 64.2 percent on 2-point attempts this season. Conversely, Charlotte’s defense is giving up 55.8 percent shooting from inside the 3-point arc, presenting an area for the Bulls to potentially exploit.
