Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA – Photo by Icon sport
Hornets vs Bulls: Two struggling teams go against each other on Friday night
The Charlotte Hornets will visit the Chicago Bulls on Friday night at the United Center. This should have been a match-up between the Ball brothers, but as both Lonzo and Lamelo are injured, other players will need to steal the spotlight.
Can the Hornets win two in a row?
The Charlotte Hornets are having another disappointing season, sitting in 13th place in the Eastern Conference with an 8-24 record. The Hornets were on an 11-game losing streak before beating the Sacramento Kings 111-104 in their last game. The Hornets are at the bottom of the league with only 19.5 free throw attempts per game. They are ranked 27th in the league, scoring 110 points per game. Lamelo Ball is the best player on the Hornets team with 24.7 points and 8.2 assists per game.
Are the Bulls going to break down the roster?
The Chicago Bulls are 11th in the Eastern Conference with a 15-21 record. They have lost three of the last five games and are coming off a 116-100 loss to the New York Knicks. The Bulls are ranked 28th in the league, scoring 109.2 points per game. They are at the same spot with 42.2% shooting from the field. DeMar DeRozan is the leading scorer for the Bulls with 22.4 points per game, followed by Zach LaVine who has 21 points per game.
Betting Trends
Charlotte has played under total point line in 8 of the last 9 games overall. Chicago has done so in their last 7 games, in their last 5 home games and in their last 5 games against the Hornets.
Player to watch
Andre Drummond has stepped up for the Bulls, with Nikola Vucevic out with an injury. Drummond is averaging 7.3 points and 8.6 rebounds per game this season, but in the last 10 games, he is at 10.3 points and 13 rebounds per game.
Injury Reports
Torrey Craig, Nikola Vucevic, Zach LaVine, Onuralp Bitim and Lonzo Ball are out for Chicago. Frank Ntilikina, LaMelo Ball, and Gordon Hayward are out for Charlotte.
Prediction and Conclusion
This is a matchup between two struggling teams with long injury lists. The Hornets and the Bulls are among the four worst-scoring teams in the league. The total point line for this game is set at 223.5, and even though that is pretty low, these two teams will most likely stay under it. The Hornets have played under the total point line in eight of the last nine games, while the Bulls have done that in the last seven of their games. Given that, there is no doubt that going with under is the right choice for this game.
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