The Chicago Bulls and host Charlotte Hornets ought to be frustrated teams when they meet on Thursday night.
But the agitations come for different reasons.
The Bulls lost 116-110 on Tuesday night at Indiana, with a three-game winning streak ending when they couldn’t protect a 21-point lead.
The Hornets will be back home from a 2-2 trip that concluded with blowout losses to Utah and Phoenix on back-to-back nights.
The Bulls might be missing chances to make more gains in the Eastern Conference standings. The Charlotte game will mark the seventh contest in a row against an opponent currently with a .500 record or worse.
Donovan said when the stakes seem to rise during a game, the Bulls don’t always react with a higher level of play.
The Bulls haven’t put together a four-game winning streak all season.
The result of the game in Indiana was stinging.
Similar to how they were when they embarked on their trip, the Hornets are a wounded bunch. Gordon Hayward missed the Phoenix game with a hamstring strain, joining LaMelo Ball and Cody Martin on the sidelines.
Charlotte gave up 22 baskets from 3-point range at Phoenix. The Hornets made just six 3-pointers.
The Bulls have been without backup guard Goran Dragic because of non-COVID illness.
The Bulls own a 106-88 home victory against Charlotte from Nov. 2. That result gave Chicago a 5-4 record, but the Bulls lost the next game and haven’t been above .500 again.
Kelly Oubre Jr., who is out with a hand injury, was the game’s top scorer that night with 24 points for the Hornets.
