CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ Teams can't control injuries. The Bulls have experienced an inordinate amount, with Bobby Portis making it two starters and two rotation players now out for extended periods.
Teams can control effort, regardless the personnel.
The Bulls lacked that defensively almost as much as they lacked healthy bodies Friday night at Spectrum Center. In particular, the transition defense again proved to be substandard as the Hornets repeatedly beat the Bulls downcourt to set up good shots and easy baskets.
The Hornets shot 57 percent in their 135-106 victory, outscoring the Bulls 64-40 in the paint. At times, it looked like the Hornets were in pregame layup lines, such was the unchallenged nature of their strolls to the hoop.
"The first thing that (Bulls coach) Fred (Hoiberg) talked about really was no one was going to feel sorry for us," Bulls rookie and surprise starter Chandler Hutchison said. "(Injuries) like this happen, and it doesn't change our mindset that we still have to compete and play really hard to get a win, no matter who is playing, who's not playing. Anyone can still beat anyone if you play hard."
Did the Bulls?
Kemba Walker posted 30 points, seven assists and six rebounds in just 26 minutes, while Tony Parker, who helped flip the direction of the game in the second quarter, finished with 18 points in 19 minutes.
Remarkably, after missing their first 11 3-point attempts, the Hornets closed by making 14 of their last 21 from beyond the arc.
Zach LaVine's streak of 30-point games ended at four as he scored 20 points and didn't play in the fourth quarter. The Bulls have their first set of back-to-back games concluding Saturday night in Atlanta.
"Unfortunately, you go through stretches like this where you have injuries to key pieces for the future of your organization," Hoiberg said. "Those guys will hopefully have opportunities to still have significant time together. Our big thing is going to be once they get cleared to get them in the right condition to be back for an extended time frame.
"There's still going to plenty of time for these guys to get back. Lauri (Markkanen) is two to four weeks (away) now. So hopefully we'll get him back before too long. And then Bobby and Kris (Dunn) are both four to six week injuries. That seems like a long time now. But they'll be back before we know it. And those guys will get a good opportunity to play together for an extended period."
Friday marked the 34th anniversary of Michael Jordan's NBA debut. The Hornets chairman didn't attend. And the Bulls are miles away from sniffing the heights reached by the franchise when he graced the hardwood for them.
