Bulls at Hornets
THE STORY: The New Orleans Hornets will have a tough time snapping their six-game losing streak when they host the Central Division and Eastern Conference-leading Chicago Bulls on Wednesday. The Bulls have won three straight and hold a 12-5 road record. The Hornets, 2-12 on their home court, are dead last in the Southwest Division and Western Conference. One thing going for the Hornets – reigning MVP Derrick Rose may see reduced action. The Bulls star is suffering from back spasms that limited him to less than 11 minutes in Chicago’s last outing.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, CST, CSN-Chicago, WMVP, WMTI
ABOUT THE BULLS (21-6): Chicago, which is 7-3 in its last 10 games, is coming off a 108-87 road win over the New Jersey Nets on Monday. The Bulls led 35-14 after the first quarter and led by as many as 32 points in the first half as they dominated the Nets. Carlos Boozer led the offense with 24 points. C.J. Watson, playing in place of Rose, collected 14 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds. Luol Deng added 19 points.
ABOUT THE HORNETS (4-21): New Orleans, which has just one win in its last 10 games, is coming off a 100-92 loss at home to the Sacramento Kings on Monday. Despite leading by 18 points at one point in the first half, the Hornets still managed to lose for the 21st time in their last 23 games. “There is nowhere to run. I told the players that. You can’t get out of this. We’ll find out who is committed and who is not because this is a tough time we’re going through,” said coach Monty Williams. Greivis Vasquez led the Hornets offense against the Kings with 20 points and nine assists. Marco Belinelli added 18 points, while Chris Kaman collected 10 points, 12 boards and two blocks.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. The Bulls are 4-2 through the first six games of a nine-game road trip. It is the longest this season for Chicago.
2. Emeka Okafor had a season-high 19 points for the Hornets on Monday.