Chicago Bulls (36-40, 10th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Charlotte Hornets (26-51, 14th in the Eastern Conference)
Charlotte, North Carolina; Friday, 7 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: Charlotte hosts the Chicago Bulls after P.J. Washington scored 43 points in the Charlotte Hornets' 137-134 victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Hornets are 14-34 in conference play. Charlotte is third in the Eastern Conference with 15.5 fast break points per game led by Terry Rozier averaging 3.3.
The Bulls are 25-23 in conference matchups. Chicago is 3-7 in one-possession games.
The two teams square off for the fourth time this season. The Bulls defeated the Hornets 114-98 in their last matchup on Feb. 3. Ayo Dosunmu led the Bulls with 22 points, and Rozier led the Hornets with 23 points.
TOP PERFORMERS: LaMelo Ball is averaging 23.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 8.4 assists for the Hornets. Washington is averaging 19.8 points over the last 10 games for Charlotte.
DeMar DeRozan is scoring 24.9 points per game and averaging 4.7 rebounds for the Bulls. Coby White is averaging 2.4 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games for Chicago.
LAST 10 GAMES: Hornets: 5-5, averaging 109.3 points, 43.3 rebounds, 26.4 assists, 7.6 steals and 6.5 blocks per game while shooting 47.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 114.8 points per game.
Bulls: 6-4, averaging 114.9 points, 41.0 rebounds, 27.0 assists, 8.9 steals and 5.2 blocks per game while shooting 49.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.8 points.
INJURIES: Hornets: LaMelo Ball: out for season (ankle), Gordon Hayward: day to day (ankle), Kelly Oubre Jr.: day to day (shoulder), Terry Rozier: out (foot), Cody Martin: out (knee), Dennis Smith Jr.: day to day (toe).
Bulls: Justin Lewis: out for season (knee), Andre Drummond: out (personal reasons), Lonzo Ball: out for season (knee).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
The Associated Press
