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What: Chicago Bulls (20-39) vs. Charlotte Hornets (27-33)
Where: Charlotte, NC; Spectrum Center
When: 7:00 p.m. EST
How to Watch: FOX Sports South, NBA League Pass
Don’t look now, but the Charlotte Hornets are finally playing a consistent brand of basketball. Steve Clifford’s bunch have won four games in a row and will look to make it five when the struggling Chicago Bulls come to town tonight.
After a two point road victory over the Orlando Magic to start this current win streak, the Hornets have won each of their last three games by at least 15 points. It’s the first time the entire season that Charlotte has put together more than three wins in a row and, it has put the team within four games of the Miami Heat for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Hornets have picked up their play on both ends of the court and are finally getting consistent contributions from players not named Kemba Walker and Dwight Howard. This will have to continue if Charlotte is to put serious pressure on the Heat.
The Bulls, meanwhile, are in the midst of a rebuild. The team made the decision over the All-Star break to move David Nwaba and Cristiano Felicio into the starting lineup, replacing Justin Holiday and Robin Lopez .Jerian Grant has also been removed from the rotation in favor of Cameron Payne.
Heading into Monday night’s game with the Brooklyn Nets, the Bulls had lost 11 of their previous 13 games.
Chicago will have the services of guard Zach LaVine on Tuesday night after he sat out the first leg of the back-to-back due to injury maintenance as he returns from a torn ACL.
It should be a win for the Hornets tonight, but that was true in the two previous match-ups as well. Chicago is a surprising 2-0 against Charlotte, but given the Bulls’ lack of motivation to win at this point, the Hornets should be able to take of things.
And since we are in #PlayoffWatch, keep an eye on Miami’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers. A Miami loss and a Hornets win moves Charlotte within three games of 8th place.