The Charlotte Hornets (10-8) travel to Chicago to take on the Bulls (11-5) in a matchup that pits the fourth-ranked offense against the fourth-ranked defense. The game starts at 8:00 pm ET on Saturday, Dec. 5 and will air on WGN, FxS and C+D.
The Bulls were victorious over the Nuggets 99-90 on Wednesday. Pau Gasol fueled the Bulls, recording 26 points and 19 rebounds to notch his eighth double-double this season. The Hornets, meanwhile, are coming off a 116-99 loss at the hands of the Warriors on Wednesday. Nicolas Batum had a good shooting night, leading the team with 17 points.
Second-chance points might be scarce for Chicago in this matchup. They rank 26th in the NBA in offensive rebounding (offensive rebound percentage of 21.0%), while the Hornets are third-best in the league on the defensive glass (defensive rebound percentage of 79.3%). Also, the Hornets’s fourth-ranked offense (offensive efficiency of 104.4) will face off against the fourth-ranked defense of the Bulls (defensive efficiency of 97.5).
The two teams have split their matchups this season. The Bulls had the upper hand in the most recent game, a 102-97 win. Despite the loss, Batum was the game’s leading scorer with 28 points.
The Bulls are a seven-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 198 points. Even with a positive Straight Up (SU) record of 11-5, the Bulls are 6-10 Against The Spread (ATS) in those games. Even though they haven’t performed all that well ATS within the Eastern Conference (2-7), they have a record of 6-3. The Bulls have a distinct advantage on the boards in this matchup. They are the top-ranked rebounding team in the NBA, averaging 48.1 per game, while the Hornets rank 22nd in the league with 43.2 per game. Turning to the defensive side, teams routinely struggle to score points against the Bulls, who allow only 94.1 points per home game. Teams have to fight for open shots against the Bulls, who have the best opponent field-goal percentage in the league at .409. Chicago is very careful and attentive with the ball, averaging the fifth-fewest turnovers per game at only 13.3.
Across the court, the Hornets head into the game with records of 9-8-1 ATS and 10-8 SU. Charlotte has records of 6-6 SU and 5-6-1 ATS against the East. When it comes to making good decisions with the ball, not many are better than the Hornets. They have one of the top assist-to-turnover ratios in the league at 1.81.
The Bulls’ win over Charlotte in their last game brought their SU record to 6-4 over the Hornets in the last 10 games. However, with a 6-4 record, the Hornets have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Chi, ATS Winner – Cha, O/U – Under
Notes
Chicago is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chicago’s last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chicago’s last 5 games at home.
Chicago is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games at home.
Chicago is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 11 of Chicago’s last 15 games when playing Charlotte.
Chicago is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Charlotte.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Chicago’s last 7 games when playing at home against Charlotte.
Chicago scores an average of 98.9 points per game (ranked 19th), while Charlotte gives up 99.7 points per game (ranked 13th).
On average, Chicago puts up 96.9 points per home game (ranked 24th), while Charlotte allows 101.1 points per away game (ranked 13th).
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Bulls are 10-1 on the season. When the Hornets score fewer than 100, they are an abysmal 2-8.
When Chicago allows 100 or more points, the team is a losing 1-4. In games where it reaches the century mark, Charlotte is undefeated with an 8-0 record.
The Bulls have an offensive rating of 98.2 (ranked 27th). The Hornets rank 13th for their defensive rating of 100.9.
Chicago averages 100.7 possessions per game, scoring .982 points on each possession. While Charlotte averages fewer possessions per game with 97.9, the team scores more points per possession with 1.044.
The Charlotte Hornets have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking ninth in the league with an EFF% of 50.0%. When their opponents record a similar or higher EFF%, the Chicago Bulls are winless with a 0-2 record.
On average, the Chicago Bulls make 22.1 assists per game and the Charlotte Hornets make 21.4. Chicago is ranked ninth, while Charlotte is ranked 15th.
Chicago makes an average of 6.1 blocks per game (ranked seventh). Charlotte ranks higher in blocks with 6.2 (ranked sixth).
Chicago is ranked 19th when it comes to offensive rebounding. Charlotte ranks ninth in defensive rebounds.
On average, Chicago makes 6.4 steals per game. Charlotte has a solid 5-3 record when it gives up at least 6 steals.
