Free NBA Picks Today: Chicago Bulls vs Charlotte Hornets 2/2/23

The Charlotte Hornets (15-37, 8-21 Away) will try to slow down one of the NBA’s top shooting teams when they travel to face the Chicago Bulls (23-27, 13-11 Home) on Thursday.

Charlotte lost to the Milwaukee Bucks 124-115 at Fiserv Forum on Tuesday, their third loss in a row away from home. LaMelo Ball led the way in the loss with a triple double, totaling 27 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds, and three blocks.

The Hornets are 14th in the Eastern Conference. Chicago lost on Tuesday at United Center, falling to the Los Angeles Clippers 108-103. Nikola Vucevic had 23 points, 14 rebounds, and four assists in the losing effort to lead the team. The Bulls are the 11th seed in the Eastern Conference.

The teams are meeting for the last time this season. Charlotte and Chicago have split their two matchups this season. The Hornets won the most recent meeting, beating the Bulls 111-96 at Spectrum Center on Thursday.

Terry Rozier led the Hornets with 28 points. DeMar DeRozan had 28 points in the losing effort.

Rozier is averaging 21.7 points per game to lead the Hornets in scoring this season. Rozier also has dished 5.1 assists per game. Meanwhile, Mason Plumlee is grabbing 9.8 rebounds.

DeRozan and Zach LaVine have powered the Bulls’ offense, averaging 26.3 and 23.7 points per game, respectively. DeRozan also has tallied 5.0 assists per game. Vucevic has averaged 11.1 rebounds per game.

Shooting 48.9% from the field for the season, the Bulls are one of the NBA’s most accurate field goal shooting teams (5th).

The Bulls have had success in the last 10 matchups between the teams at United Center, winning seven. In the last 10 games, Charlotte is 4-6 with an average margin of -6.7 (112.9-119.6).

Chicago has also a 4-6 record over the last 10, scoring 111.2 points per game on average while holding opponents to 110.1 (+1.1 margin).

HORNETS HOT/COLD

(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Nick Richards: 5.5 | 14.2 | -8.7
Points per game:
Mason Plumlee: 16.0 | 12.2 | +3.8
Rebounds per game:
LaMelo Ball: 9.3 | 5.5 | +3.9
Nick Richards: 1.5 | 5.6 | -4.1
Assists per game:
Terry Rozier: 3.8 | 5.1 | -1.3

BULLS HOT/COLD

(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Patrick Williams: 21.0 | 16.0 | +5.0
Andre Drummond: 8.0 | 12.8 | -4.8
Points per game:
Patrick Williams: 13.4 | 10.4 | +3.0
Ayo Dosunmu: 7.0 | 9.3 | -2.3
Rebounds per game:
Andre Drummond: 3.7 | 6.4 | -2.7