The NBA Cup group stage concludes on Friday night, as the Charlotte Hornets host the Chicago Bulls at the Spectrum Center. Both East Group C squads have already been eliminated from advancing to the knockout round, but at least they get to play on a fun court, right?
The Bulls (9–8, 1–2 NBA Cup) opened up the season on a five-game heater, but have largely regressed to the mean and sit at 9th place in the Eastern Conference. The Hornets (4–14, 0–3 NBA Cup), meanwhile, have continued their typical struggles and sit at 12th in the East and enter Friday’s contest on a seven-game slide.
Here’s a look at the Injury Report:
Chicago Bulls
- Out: Zach Collins (wrist), Dalen Terry (calf), Isaac Okoro (back)
Charlotte Hornets
- Out: Pat Connaughton (calf), Josh Green (shoulder), Grant Williams (knee)
Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. Chicago enters as a slight 2.5-point road favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook, while Charlotte is listed as a +120 underdog. The game’s total is set at 248.5 points.
Bulls vs. Hornets Preview
Chicago Bulls Preview
The Bulls have scuffled since opening the season at a perfect 5–0, winning just four of 12 games since. They’ve shown flashes of potential with their burgeoning young core, but still rank in the bottom third of the league on both sides of the ball — good for an underwhelming 20th-ranked net rating.
Chicago scores the NBA’s fourth most points per game, dominating the paint while sitting top-five in three-point percentage (37.9). The Bulls spread the wealth — ranking third in assists with eight of their players averaging double-digit point totals. The offense runs through Josh Giddey, who’s averaging a near triple-double with 20.5 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 9.5 assists per game.
Still, they struggle to take care of the ball at times, sitting near the bottom third of the league in turnovers.
Neutralizing their solid offensive production is their defense, as the Bulls allow the third-most points in the league. The Bulls rank dead last in turnovers forced and — despite being one of the league’s top rebounding squads — give up the most second-chance points in the NBA. Chicago’s paint protection has also been nonexistent, sitting 30th in opponent points in the paint.
Charlotte Hornets Preview
Charlotte seems destined for a rebuild, as star guard LaMelo Ball has reportedly indicated that he’d be open to a trade. Selling at the deadline wouldn’t be the worst idea, as the Hornets currently rank near the bottom of the league in offensive (18th), defensive (25th), and net rating (23rd).
The Hornets rank 20th in points per game on resounding inefficiency. Charlotte leans heavily on threes, owning the NBA’s fourth-lowest percentage of points coming from inside the arc, despite shooting just 34.9% from downtown — the 10th worst mark in the league. They also rank 23rd in turnovers per game. However, they’re tenacious on the offensive glass and rank 8th in second-chance points.
Things aren’t much better on the other end, as the Hornets allow the eighth-most points per game on the NBA’s highest opponent field-goal and three-point percentages. Charlotte ranks dead last in steals and opponent turnovers per game. While they shut down second-chance opportunities, they continue to get crushed inside without much paint protection.
Bulls vs. Hornets Pick, Best Bet
With Coby White and Nikola Vucevic available, the Bulls have more than enough scoring prowess to capitalize on one of the worst defenses in the league. While the Hornets could pose a threat inside, Chicago’s biggest offensive issue — turnovers — should be cancelled out by Charlotte’s inability to generate takeaways.
Count on the Bulls to snag a road win against the stumbling Hornets on Friday night.
