Charlotte Hornets: Beat Bulls to go 6-0 in Preseason

The Charlotte Hornets have been having a very successful preseason adventure. That included a two game sweep of the Clippers in China, beating two divisional rivals in the Magic and Heat, and now includes beating the Chicago Bulls. Sure the Bulls sat Derrick Rose and Pau Gasol, but the Hornets beat who was put in front of them. Here are some takeaways from the Hornets’ 94-86 win.

1. Troy Daniels is back

The injured Hornets shooting guard came off the bench to contribute sixteen minutes and four rebounds.

2. Hornets deployed Marvin Williams as the starting small forward

We have been looking to see what the final answer for the absence of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist would be. The Hornets tried Jeremy Lin in China and this time they wanted to see what Batum would look like at the shooting guard. Batum shot poorly from three but did contribute 14 points to the victory.

3. Backcourt Offense

The two most productive point scorers were point guards Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lin. Walker had twenty-two points while Lin had eighteen. Walker had zero assists on the game, which seems like a problem. However he was playing off ball to Lin, who had five assists and eight rebounds during his time on the court.

4. Get One, Lose One

PJ Hairston made his return to action last night as well. He scored eleven while Jeremy Lamb went down with an injury. No word yet on its seriousness. Hairston is could answer a number of questions for this team if he can keep healthy and his head on straight.

The Bulls played a lineup that depended on guard Jimmy Butler for points. Other Bulls in double figures included center Joakim Noah, forward Nikola Mirotic, forward Taj Gibson, and forward Bobby Portis. After a high scoring first quarter for both teams, the Hornets built their winning margin with solid second half play.

Next: Is Jeremy Lin the Answer?

The Hornets play the Detroit Pistons tomorrow to continue the preseason.