Vucevic and the Bulls host conference foe Charlotte

Posted April 22, 2021 7:00 am

By The Associated Press

Charlotte Hornets (28-29, eighth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Chicago Bulls (24-34, 12th in the Eastern Conference)

Chicago; Thursday, 9 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: Eastern Conference foes Chicago and Charlotte face off on Thursday.

The Bulls are 14-14 against Eastern Conference opponents. Chicago ranks fifth in the NBA with 26.8 assists per game led by Zach LaVine averaging 5.1.

The Hornets are 15-15 against Eastern Conference opponents. Charlotte ranks fourth in the Eastern Conference with 26.7 assists per game led by LaMelo Ball averaging 6.1.

The teams meet for the second time this season. The Bulls won 123-110 in the last meeting on Jan. 22. LaVine led Chicago with 25 points, and Gordon Hayward led Charlotte with 34 points.

TOP PERFORMERS: Nikola Vucevic ranks second on the Bulls averaging 2.4 made 3-pointers, and is scoring 22.3 points per game while shooting 45% from beyond the arc. Vucevic is averaging 9.4 rebounds and 23 points per game over the last 10 games for Chicago.

Terry Rozier leads the Hornets averaging 20.7 points while adding 4.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. Miles Bridges is averaging 19.8 points and 7.5 rebounds while shooting 53.8% over the last 10 games for Charlotte.

LAST 10 GAMES: Bulls: 4-6, averaging 108.4 points, 42.7 rebounds, 28.5 assists, 7.1 steals and 4.1 blocks per game while shooting 48.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 110.6 points on 48.3% shooting.

Hornets: 4-6, averaging 104.5 points, 42 rebounds, 26.3 assists, 7.7 steals and five blocks per game while shooting 45.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 108.3 points on 45.9% shooting.

INJURIES: Bulls: Troy Brown Jr.: out (ankle), Zach LaVine: out (health and safety protocols).

Hornets: Nate Darling: out (ankle), LaMelo Ball: out (wrist), Gordon Hayward: out (foot), Malik Monk: out (ankle).

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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