The Chicago Bulls (6-3) grinded out a win on Friday night, defeating the Charlotte Hornets (4-5) 102-97. This was a big game for both teams as they will likely be battling for some of the lower playoff spots in the East, come February.
This game was very close the whole way but Chicago took control early in the fourth quarter when they grabbed the lead and did not look back.
Chicago had some good balanced scoring with five players scoring in double digits and not to mention Joakim Noah, who did not score in double digits but notched 18 rebounds, six assists, one steal and one bloack, in 22 minutes off the bench. Jimmy Butler led the way in scoring with 27 points on 8-16 shooting, along with five rebounds and four assists. Pau Gasol dominated the paint with 19 points on 7-13 shooting, 13 rebounds, three asssits and two blocks, in 27 minutes. Derrick Rose shot poorly, going only 4-14 from the field, he finished with 10 points and eight assists, one steal and one block.
For the Hornets, Nicolas Batum led the way with a great game. Batum scored 28 points on 10-17 shooting, grabbed eight rebounds, two steals and two assists, in 34 minutes. Jeremy Lamb continued his recent good play by contributing 15 points, nine rebounds and two assists in 32 minutes off the bench. Marvin Williams scored 14 points, shooting 3-6 from long rand and also tallied five rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block. Kemba Walker filled the stat sheet with 13 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, three steals and two blocks in 36 minutes. Walker could have made the difference in this one for his team as he shot a sloppy 5-18 from the field.
Next up for Chicago will be a Central Division match-up vesus the Indiana Pacers who will be visiting on Monday. The Central Division is looking pretty competitive this year and this game will be a perfect example of that. Charlotte will be hosting Portland on Sunday, in a match-up of two mid tier teams.
