The Chicago Bulls (43 - 29) defeated the Charlotte Hornets (30 - 39) 98 - 86 on Monday at the United Center in Chicago. It marked a tough loss for the Hornets, as the Boston Celtics jumped a half game ahead of them for the eighth and final projected playoff seed in the Eastern Conference standings. With just 13 games left in the regular season, the Hornets are going to need to pick up some winning momentum moving forward, as teams like the Heat, Celtics, Pacers and Nets all sit within three games of each other and will fight for the final two playoff spots in the East. The Bulls, on the other hand, have clinched their spot in the playoffs and still sit as the fourth seed in the standings, with the Toronto Raptors sitting just above them with the tie breaker. With a strong finish to the season, they'll have the opportunity to pass up the Raptors, but they could be passed up themselves, as the Washington Wizards are trailing the Bulls by just two games. Nikola Mirotic continued to have a huge presence for the Bulls, recording over 20 points for the fourth time over his last five games. In 32 minutes off the bench, he finished with a team - high of 28 points (10 - 19 FG, 1 - 6 3Pt, 7 - 10 FT), while also adding eight rebounds and a blocked shot. Over his last five games, he's now boasting averages of 21 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks, while shooting 43 percent from the field. Pau Gasol was also a force in this game, posting 27 points (11 - 19 FG, 1 - 1 3Pt, 4 - 6 FT) of his own, to go along with 12 rebounds and four blocked shots. He's posted two double - doubles in a row, combining for an impressive 54 points and 22 rebounds over those two matchups. On the season, Gasol is now averaging 19 points and 12 rebounds as the clear leader of this team. The biggest news for the Bulls though, was seeing Jimmy Butler return to the starting lineup after missing 12 games with an elbow injury. He did n't seem to have any trouble with his elbow and posted 19 points (6 - 20 FG, 0 - 2 3Pt, 7 - 10 FT) and nine rebounds, while playing a full 39 minutes. Aaron Brooks added a double - double as well, finishing with 13 points (6 - 10 FG, 0 - 2 3Pt, 1 - 1 FT) and 10 assists. The Hornets struggled to get things going offensively Monday. Kemba Walker was one of the few exceptions, going off for a game - high of 29 points (11 - 24 FG, 2 - 7 3Pt, 5 - 5 FT) with two assists in 34 minutes. He had shot under 40 percent from the field in nine straight games coming into Monday, so it was good to finally see him have a better night with his shot and come out shooting 46 percent from the floor. Mo Williams came off the bench again in this one and scored 15 points (4 - 16 FG, 3 - 9 3Pt, 4 - 5 FT), while also posting six rebounds and five assists. He's had two solid showings in a row, combining for 39 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists over that span. The only other Hornet in double figures was Gerald Henderson, who chipped in with 11 points (3 - 12 FG, 0 - 1 3Pt, 5 - 6 FT) and nine rebounds, despite having a tough night shooting the ball. Al Jefferson had to leave the game after just 24 minutes with soreness in his right knee, so the Hornets can only hope it does n't continue to keep him out moving forward. The Bulls' next game will be on the road against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday, while the Hornets will be at home against the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday.
["TeamStat(G,'Bulls') has 29 Losses ,has 98 Total points ,has 20 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 43 Wins ."
 "TeamStat(G,'Hornets') has 39 Losses ,has 86 Total points ,has 30 Points in 2nd quarter ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Gerald Henderson') has 1 Assists ,has 0 Blocks ,has 12 Defensive rebounds ,has 3 3-pointers attempted ,has 6 3-pointers made ,has 5 Field goals attempted ,has 11 Field goals made ,has 9 Field goal percentage ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Kemba Walker') has 2 Assists ,has 1 Blocks ,has 1 Defensive rebounds ,has 7 3-pointers attempted ,has 2 3-pointers made ,has 24 Field goals attempted ,has 11 Field goals made ,has 46 Field goal percentage ,has 5 Free throws attempted ,has 5 Free throws made ,has 34 Minutes played ,has 1 Offensive rebounds ,has 29 Personal fouls ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Mo Williams') has 5 Assists ,has 9 Blocks ,has 3 Defensive rebounds ,has 16 3-pointers attempted ,has 4 3-pointers made ,has 5 Field goals attempted ,has 4 Field goals made ,has 15 Field goal percentage ,has 6 Free throws attempted ,has 1 Free throws made ,has 2 Minutes played ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Pau Gasol') has 4 Assists ,has 1 Blocks ,has 1 Defensive rebounds ,has 19 3-pointers attempted ,has 11 3-pointers made ,has 6 Field goals attempted ,has 4 Field goals made ,has 2 Field goal percentage ,has 2 Free throws attempted ,has 27 Free throws made ,has 12 Minutes played ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Jimmy Butler') has 2 Assists ,has 0 Blocks ,has 20 Defensive rebounds ,has 6 3-pointers attempted ,has 10 3-pointers made ,has 7 Field goals attempted ,has 19 Field goals made ,has 9 Field goal percentage ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Aaron Brooks') has 10 Assists ,has 2 Blocks ,has 0 Defensive rebounds ,has 10 3-pointers attempted ,has 6 3-pointers made ,has 1 Field goals attempted ,has 1 Field goals made ,has 13 Field goal percentage ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Nikola Mirotic') has 2 Assists ,has 1 Blocks ,has 6 Defensive rebounds ,has 1 3-pointers attempted ,has 19 3-pointers made ,has 10 Field goals attempted ,has 10 Field goals made ,has 7 Field goal percentage ,has 32 Free throws attempted ,has 2 Free throws made ,has 28 Minutes played ,has 8 Offensive rebounds ,has 2 Personal fouls ."]