CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte Hornets did themselves in Friday, committing 20 turnovers in a 123-110 home loss to the Chicago Bulls.
Those 20 turnovers resulted in 26 Chicago points, as the Bulls controlled the game throughout the second half. The Hornets lost their fourth straight game, falling to 6-9. The Bulls improved to 7-8.
Gordon Hayward scored 34 points and added six rebounds for the Hornets, while Devonte Graham finished with a season-high 24 points.
The Bulls got 25 points, nine assists and six rebounds from Zach LaVine.
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Guard Terry Rozier has been explosive offensively from the season-opener this season, but not the first half Friday, when he went scoreless, and took just two shots in 19 minutes.
Rozier finally scored four minutes into the second half, on a steal and a dunk. He finished with 10 points and six assists.
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The Hornets’ eight-point halftime deficit was all about turnovers. They committed 14 — 10 short of the season-high for an entire game — before halftime, resulting in 19 Chicago points.
When a team converts at a higher rate than one point per opponent turnover, it usually means an abundance of those giveaways were live-ball. That was the case this time; so many changes of possession without a chance to set Charlotte’s defense.
Hornets with multiple turnovers that first half: Gordon Hayward with four, LaMelo Ball with three, P.J. Washington and Miles Bridges with two each.
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Cody Zeller played for the first time since breaking the ring finger of his left hand in the season-opening loss in Cleveland. It was four weeks — the minimum time on his recovery projection — for him to be reactivated.
The Hornets moved Bismack Biyombo into the starting unit at center in Zeller’s absence, and played about 14 minutes per game of small ball, with P.J. Washington moving from power forward to center. Coach James Borrego always planned to play Washington some at center, but Zeller’s injury made that a necessity.
Borrego said pre-game he likes how the small unit (which also has Bridges at power forward) performed. He’ll do some experimenting the next few games to test what’s the best mix of center minutes.
“At some point, I may have to make a call and go with two out of those three,” Borrego said. “Right now, I’m going to try to (use) all three.”
Zeller scored five points and grabbed three rebounds in 11 minutes off the bench Friday.
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Borrego said at the start of the regular-season he was open to playing 10 guys, then would trim back his rotation over time. Clearly, he has.
For the second straight game, Borrego played seven guys heavy minutes (the starters, plus top reserves Bridges and Ball), and two others in shorter minutes. This game, it was getting Zeller back into the mix (though Caleb Martin ended up playing a lot in the fourth quarter).
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What was a three-day break from games on the Hornets’ schedule became five days when COVID-19 issues with the Washington Wizards postponed their game in Charlotte Wednesday.
Borrego said he used the extra practice time — which was all but non-existent in a span of 10 games in 16 days — to address some specialty areas, like late-game situations.
The Hornets have been terrific in a short span this season in what the NBA defines as “clutch time” (when the margin is five points or fewer in the last five minutes of a game). In those situations (16 minutes entering Friday night), the Hornets were a net plus-60.5 points per 100 possessions. However, Charlotte also had a record of 3-4 in games that included clutch time.
