The Charlotte Hornets (1-3) secured their first win of the season in impressive fashion Tuesday against the Chicago Bulls (3-2), winning 130-105.
Charlotte had lost by a combined five points over their last two games to the Atlanta Hawks, but Tuesday’s game was far from a nailbiter. The Hornets jumped out to a 37-20 lead after one quarter and held a 22-point advantage at halftime. They finished the night shooting 51.6 percent from the field and an eye-popping 14-for-23 from behind the three-point arc.
Leading the way for the home squad was Jeremy Lamb, who had previously signed a three-year, $21 million extension with the club a day earlier. Lamb finished with 20 points off the bench while knocking down 9-of-10 shots. Six other players — Nicolas Batum (18), Jeremy Lin (15), Al Jefferson (14), Kemba Walker (13), Spencer Hawes (13), and P.J. Hairston (10) — reached double figures for Charlotte.
The Bulls received their usual solid performance from Jimmy Butler (26 points on 10-of-16 shooting), but failed to get many contributions from the rest of the starting lineup. Derrick Rose was held to just four points in 24 minutes. It marked the first time in his career that he finished with less than 10 points in three consecutive games. Nikola Mirotic also fell back to earth after a hot start to the season, going 2-for-11 from the field to finish with five points. Strong showings off the bench from Doug McDermott (17 points) and Aaron Brooks (14 points) at least allowed the Bulls to reach the century mark.
Chicago’s next game will come against the Oklahoma City Thunder at home Thursday. The Hornets will also be in action Thursday, as they’ll head to Dallas to face the Mavericks.
