The Charlotte Hornets (0-3) are off to a slow start and will try to pick up their first victory when they take on the Chicago Bulls (3-1) at Charlotte Bobcats Arena. Action starts at 7:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Nov. 3 and can be seen on CSC and FxS.
The Hornets are expecting a better outcome after their 94-92 loss to the Hawks on Sunday. Kemba Walker was the team’s high scorer, recording 17 points. The Bulls are coming off a 92-87 win against the Magic on Sunday. Jimmy Butler had a good game, accumulating 14 points, five assists, and four steals.
The Hornets, a four-point underdog, will look to capitalize at home against Chicago. The teams combine to set the Over/Under (O/U) at 193 points. The Hornets have gone 0-3 Straight Up (SU) and 1-1-1 Against The Spread (ATS). Few teams in the league have a higher assist-to-turnover ratio than Charlotte, which ranks fifth at 1.78.
On the other side, the Bulls have 3-1 SU and 1-3 ATS records. The Bulls rely heavily on three-pointers on offense, ranking fourth in the league with 35 made (8.0 per game). The Bulls are a problem for teams on the defensive side, allowing only .396 shooting from the field to their opponents. When it comes to defending the rim, the Bulls are one of the best in the league with an average of 7.2 blocks per game.
This game marks the season’s first head-to-head clash between the conference foes. Their previous game was a Bulls victory, bumping their SU record over the last 10 meetings to 7-3. The teams are even ATS, with a 5-5 record. Chicago had the advantage in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) four times over the last 10. Charlotte has had the edge in all categories once.
Predictions: SU Winner – Chi, ATS Winner – Chi, O/U – Under
Notes
Charlotte is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Charlotte’s last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Charlotte’s last 5 games at home.
Charlotte is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home.
Charlotte is 2-3-1 ATS in its last 6 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Charlotte’s last 13 games when playing Chicago.
Charlotte is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Chicago.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Charlotte’s last 7 games when playing at home against Chicago.
Chicago ranks 18th in points per game with 99.5, while Charlotte ranks 12th in points allowed with an average of 98.3 given up.
The Chicago Bulls are 2-1 in games where they allow fewer than 100 points, while the Charlotte Hornets are winless (0-3) when scoring less than 100.
The Hornets have an offensive rating of 97.5 (ranked 20th). The Bulls rank third for their defensive rating of 91.7.
The Chicago Bulls average 102.3 possessions per game and .973 points per possession. The Charlotte Hornets earn fewer possessions with 95.7, but they score more points with .975.
Chicago has an average effective field goal percentage of 48.7%. Charlotte has not won a game this season when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage (0-1).
On average, the Charlotte Hornets make 22.0 assists per game and the Chicago Bulls make 18.5. Charlotte is ranked ninth, while Chicago is ranked 25th.
With 7.2 blocks per game, the Chicago Bulls rank fourth in the league. The Charlotte Hornets are in the top half of NBA teams for blocking, ranking sixth with 6.7 blocks per game.
Charlotte ranks in the top half of the NBA in offensive rebounding at ninth, while Chicago ranks near the top of the league (second) in defensive rebounding.
The Charlotte Hornets make an average of 6.0 steals per game. When the Chicago Bulls allow 6 or more steals, they are a winning 2-1.
