It’s going to take more than words for the Charlotte Hornets to get things sorted out.
The Chicago Bulls don’t have nearly as many problems as the Hornets, but their defensive shortcomings might look similar.
The teams will try to solve their trouble spots when they meet Friday night in Charlotte.
“Think about the words that we say every single day and try to find a way to actually have some action to follow up those words,” Hornets coach Charles Lee said. “We talk about the right things. We are preparing ourselves in the right way, but now the action has to follow.”
The Hornets will try to shake free from a seven-game losing streak Friday. Even with some good elements, they aren’t getting the results they need.
The Bulls have lost two of their last three games — giving up 143 points in both of those defeats. If there’s good news, it’s that they’ve had time to address the snags as they haven’t played since Monday when a stretch of three games in four nights ended.
“You got to find out they guys that are really, really committed to do it or capable of doing it,” Bulls coach Billy Donovan said of the defense. “You’re just not going to go on the road and give up 143 points and beat anybody.”
Donovan said there might not be one player on the team who would stand out to observers as the Bulls’ defensive stopper.
“We’re going to have to do that collectively,” Donovan said. “We’ve done that offensively.”
The Hornets gave up more than 30 points in three of four quarters in Wednesday night’s 129-101 home loss to the New York Knicks.
Charlotte will need to put some defensive attention on Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu, who has led Chicago in scoring in two of the past three games. Dosunmu had his two highest-scoring games of the season in that stretch, with the top mark of 28 points Monday at New Orleans.
The Bulls have had seven different players as the leading scorer in games this season.
“Every team is still finding their way,” Donovan said. “We have to fight for everything for us to compete and have an opportunity to be in the game and to win.”
If the Hornets don’t appear to be giving maximum effort, Lee said that’s something that needs to be fixed. It’s particularly troublesome on defense.
“It’s why I have to do a better job of preparing them and putting them in a position to give that effort,” Lee said. “So, I will definitely take that.”
Charlotte guard LaMelo Ball’s injury return took the next step when he played 27 minutes Wednesday. He played only one game of the team’s back-to-back schedule last weekend, but he’s expected to be available Friday after the team was off Thursday.
Regardless, Ball’s efficiency could use a boost. He managed 11 points on 4-of-14 shooting with six rebounds, four turnovers and four assists in the loss to the Knicks. He also was tagged with a technical foul for complaining about officiating.
This will be the first of three meetings this season between the Bulls and Hornets. It’s an NBA Cup East Group C contest, but neither team is in contention.
