National Basketball Association
Charlotte 133, Chicago 117
When: 8:00 PM ET, Friday, April 8, 2022
Where: United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Officials: #9 Natalie Sago, #58 Josh Tiven, #29 Mark Lindsay
Attendance: 21461

LaMelo Ball scored all 24 of his points in the first half and four reserves reached double figures as the visiting Charlotte Hornets posted a 133-117 victory against the struggling Chicago Bulls on Friday night.

The Hornets led by more than 30 points in the first half in the second-to-last game of the regular season for both teams. Both squads will be in the postseason.

The Bulls (45-36) have lost four games in a row.

Miles Bridges finished with 20 points and Terry Rozier had 15. However, the bench production from Kelly Oubre Jr. (18 points), Montrezl Harrell (14), Jalen McDaniels (13) and Cody Martin (11) made a big difference for the Hornets (42-39), who shot 60.5 percent.

Zach LaVine's 23 points led the Bulls, while Coby White had 19 points, DeMar DeRozan recorded 17, Patrick Williams supplied 15 points and Ayo Dosunmu had 14.

After Charlotte went up 128-101, the Bulls scored the next 12 points but by then there were less than two minutes remaining.

Ball, who made five 3-point baskets, added nine assists.

Charlotte shot 19-for-40 on 3-pointers to combat Chicago's 13-for-24 long-range shooting. The Hornets ended up 10-for-10 on free throws.

Charlotte held a 31-point lead in the final minute of the first half before holding a 79-51 advantage at the break. The Hornets shot 66.7 percent (30-for-45) from the field in the opening half, making 11 of their 21 attempts from 3-point range.

It was Charlotte's second sterling offensive performance in as many nights after drilling visiting Orlando.

The Bulls were in a huge hole despite making 50 percent of their first-half shots from the field.

The Hornets built a 39-31 lead through the end of the first quarter and then outscored Chicago 11-2 in the first 100 seconds of the second quarter -- a stretch capped by back-to-back 3-pointers from Ball.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Charlotte   Chicago
LaMelo Ball 24 Scoring Zach LaVine 23
LaMelo Ball 9 Assists Zach LaVine 7
Montrezl Harrell 6 Rebounds Troy Brown Jr. 5
LaMelo Ball 3 Free Throws Made Patrick Williams 5
Kelly Oubre Jr. 2 Steals Troy Brown Jr. 3
P.J. Washington 2 Blocks Patrick Williams 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Charlotte 133 60.5 19-40 10-10 34 38 4 7 11
Chicago 117 53.7 13-24 16-20 25 31 1 7 12
Upcoming Games
  • Chicago will play their next game on the road against Minnesota. The Bulls have a W/L % of .609 after a win and .486 after a loss.
  • Charlotte will play their next game at home against Washington. The Hornets have a W/L % of .561 after a win and .475 after a loss.