Charlotte Hornets erased a double-digit deficit and controlled the final 24 minutes to defeat the Chicago Bulls 112-99 on Saturday night at the United Center. The result snapped a three-game skid for Charlotte and dropped Chicago back below .500.
Miles Bridges delivered a decisive performance with 26 points and 14 rebounds. He anchored a depleted frontcourt and finished with a plus-19 rating in 35 minutes.
Brandon Miller added 22 points and played a central role in the Hornets’ third-quarter surge. Kon Knueppel contributed 18 points, while LaMelo Ball posted 17 points and seven assists.
Charlotte improved to 12-23 and moved to 5-2 this season in the second game of back-to-back sets. The Hornets had lost five of seven entering the night.
Chicago led 58-50 at halftime and appeared in control early. Nikola Vucevic carried the offense with 28 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds.
Ayo Dosunmu provided a spark in the first half, scoring 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting. His half-court buzzer-beater closed the first quarter and energized the home crowd.
The game shifted decisively after the break. Charlotte outscored Chicago 32-17 in the third quarter, flipping a 15-point deficit into a lead.
Miller hit three of the Hornets’ seven 3-pointers in the period. Chicago shot just 5-for-23 from the field in the quarter, a 21.7 percent mark.
Miller’s pull-up three made it 82-73 with 49.3 seconds left in the third. Dosunmu answered with a driving layup to trim the margin to seven entering the fourth.
Charlotte then pulled away for good with a 10-0 run early in the final period. Miller capped the stretch with a fadeaway jumper that pushed the lead to 105-87 with 4:01 remaining.
The Hornets outrebounded Chicago 52-43 despite missing multiple rotation bigs. Moussa Diabate, Ryan Kalkbrenner, Mason Plumlee, Grant Williams, and Tidjane Salaun were all sidelined.
Chicago played without Josh Giddey and Coby White for a third straight game. Jalen Smith exited in the third quarter after colliding with Ball and was evaluated for a concussion.
Matas Buzelis scored 17 points for the Bulls, who closed a 3-3 homestand. Chicago shot 27 percent from three-point range and scored just 41 second-half points.
Charlotte travels to Oklahoma City on Monday night. Chicago heads to Boston to begin a road trip.
