NEWSLETTER
LAVOOOOOCH!!!!
Both Vooch & Zach are available tonight against Charlotte, per Coach Donovan. pic.twitter.com/weLyoBhMK3
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) May 6, 2021
Broadcast Info
Chicago Bulls at Charlotte Hornets – 6:00 p.m. CT, NBC Sports Chicago, 670 The Score (audio)
Chicago Bulls
Projected Starters:
1. Coby White
2. Zach LaVine
3. Patrick Williams
4. Daniel Theis
5. Nikola Vucevic
Injury Report: Troy Brown Jr. OUT (ankle)
Charlotte Hornets
Projected Starters:
1. LaMelo Ball
2. Terry Rozier
3. Caleb Martin
4. Jalen McDaniels
5. Bismack Biyombo
Injury Report: Gordon Hayward OUT (foot), Miles Bridges OUT (NBA Protocols), Devonte’ Graham OUT (knee), Cody Martin OUT (ankle),
What to Watch For …
• Zach LaVine and Nikola Vuceic will both be active for tonight’s game. According to head coach Billy Donovan, neither is on a specific minutes restriction of any kind, but he will monitor how both look on the court carefully. All things considered, this is a relatively decent matchup for both players to get caught back up to speed. Vucevic dropped 18 points and 16 rebounds against the Hornets’ inexperienced frontcourt in their matchup on April 22nd. Meanwhile, LaVine had 25 points and 9 assists the last time he played this squad on January 22nd.
• What happens to the rotation? Does Coby White stay at point guard? Will Al-Farouq Aminu continue to get any minutes? Could we see some Javonte Green tonight after his strong showing against the 76ers? Is there any extra emphasis on getting the young players involved with the play-in tournament falling out of reach?
• The Bulls had two days off for the first time since March 25-26. In other words, there is no reason they should come out of the gate lazy.
• Without Graham, Bridges, and Hayward, scoring will be even harder to come by for Charlotte. Their offense has averaged the third-to-worst field goal percentage in the league since the beginning of April, and they have also averaged the third-fewest points per game over that stretch. Having Ball back in the lineup could very well help them right the ship as they head toward the play-in tournament, but how much it will help tonight is up for debate.
• Even though LaVine is back in the lineup and can carry more of the offensive workload, the Bulls need to stick to the game plan. The Hornets give up the most assists to their opponents per game, and a big reason the Bulls were able to pull off the W last time was because of this. They dished 30 assists back in their April meeting, with Nikola Vucevic having six and Tomas Satoransky dishing seven.
• LaVine and Vooch went just 3-7 over their 10 games played together this season. Hopefully, tonight can be the start of better days.
• More in here …
Hello Hornets, Play Through the Vooch, What Happens to the Starting Lineup? And Other Bulls Bulletshttps://t.co/wujysjdTEi
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) May 6, 2021
Get Caught Up …
LIVE: Billy Donovan pregame vs. Hornets https://t.co/yPHrS98umf
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) May 6, 2021
With LaVine and Vucevic Returning, It Doesn’t Look Like Tank Mode Will be Activatedhttps://t.co/J84A9kvGEi
— Bleacher Nation Bulls (@BN_Bulls) May 5, 2021
