The bad thing for the Charlotte Hornets is that they’ve lost five games in a row.
The good part might be that they know things can be fixed, and the Hornets will try to do just that when they host the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night.
“Don’t panic,” Hornets coach James Borrego said. “We’ve all been here before. It’s basketball. Nobody is dying here. Everybody is all right. That group believes.”
The Bulls have numerous things going for them, including one of the best records in the Eastern Conference despite a recent dip. Then on Monday night, they had All-Star selection Zach LaVine return to action after missing time with a back ailment.
Yet the injury-riddled Bulls have dropped three of their past four games.
“Whoever is out on the floor with us, I’m ready to go to battle with them,” LaVine said.
While Chicago lost 127-124 to the visiting Phoenix Suns on Monday, there were reasons for the Bulls to be encouraged. While they were outplayed, they managed to make it a tight game — largely because of DeMar DeRozan’s 38 points.
The Bulls are trying to adjust defensively with Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso sidelined with injuries.
“With those guys out, we’re not going to have the strongest defense because that’s what they do,” LaVine said.
Ball and Caruso had an impact on offense in Chicago’s 133-119 home victory vs. Charlotte on Nov. 29, combining for 30 points.
The Bulls are just 2-7 in road games across the past month.
Charlotte has matched its longest losing streak of the season. The past three of those came across a four-night stretch at home.
Borrego is trying to secure a positive mentality because he said “this is no about Xs and Os.”
Hornets forward Miles Bridges said the team has maintained the right approach.
“Everybody else is being negative around us,” Bridges said. “I know the fans are upset. Everybody else around who is supporting us is upset. We’ve just got to stay positive, and we are. We just got to find our way.”
Chicago and Charlotte both often play their best when they’ve gone to smaller lineups, so those matchups will be worth watching.
The Hornets haven’t eclipsed the 33-percent mark from 3-point range in their past six games. That includes a 9-for-40 clip in Monday night’s 116-101 loss to the Toronto Raptors. Kelly Oubre Jr. was 0-for-8 on 3s despite scoring 17 points.
“The 3-ball has obviously dried up a bit,” Borrego said. “It’s OK. It’s going to come back to us. But until then, we have to find our offense through our defense in a lot of ways.”
Borrego said he’s not concerned about taking 40 shots from beyond the 3-point arc, but he doesn’t want to see indecisiveness. For the most part, perimeter scoring has been a big part of the team’s success.
“I’m never going to hesitate on a 3,” Bridges said. “I’m always going to shoot 3s. I put too much work in not to.”
The Hornets might have to try to get out of their slump without forward Gordon Hayward. He left Monday night’s game with an ankle injury in just his third game back from a two-week injury absence. He is listed as day-to-day.
