The Charlotte Hornets defeated the Chicago Bulls, 103 - 91, at Spectrum Center on Friday night. The Bulls (14 - 15) checked in to Friday night on a downturn, as they'd lost four of their last five. They were able to get off to a fast start, however, outscoring the host Hornets (17 - 13) by a 26 - 22 margin in the first quarter. Charlotte turned the table quickly in the second period, however, almost doubling up the visitors with a 26 - 14 advantage. Although the Bulls bounced back in the third, the Hornets were able to keep pace every step of the way throughout the second half, which resulted in their tenth home win of the season. While Chicago failed to find much scoring from their starting five outside of Jimmy Butler, Charlotte benefited from a balanced effort across their first unit. As customary, the effective backcourt duo of Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum led the way, as they supplied matching 20 - point contributions. Butler's 24 points led the Bulls, a total he supplemented with four rebounds, four assists and a block. Dwyane Wade was second, registering 12 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals. Taj Gibson supplied 10 points, three rebounds and a pair of blocks. Rajon Rondo mustered a modest seven points but also provided 10 assists, nine rebounds and two steals. Doug McDermott led the second unit with 15 points, while Nikola Mirotic managed an 11 - point, 10 - rebound double that also included a steal and a block in just 19 minutes off the bench. Walker added five rebounds, four assists and a steal to his co - leading point total, while Batum's performance was a triple - double that also consisted of 11 rebounds, 10 assists, a steal and a block. Cody Zeller went for 13 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had a near double - double with 12 points, nine rebounds, two assists, a steal and four blocks. Frank Kaminsky III paced the bench with 13 points, five boards, an assist and a block. The Bulls are in San Antonio on Christmas Day to take on the Spurs, while the Hornets visit the Brooklyn Nets on Monday evening.
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