Bulls 89 - 87 Hornets
Final
  for this game

Bulls aim to rebound in visit with Charlotte

Jan 25, 2014 - 2:53 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Chicago Bulls will try to avoid another slow start and get back into the win column when they visit the Charlotte Bobcats Saturday night at Time Warner Cable Arena.

The Bulls had won three in a row and were 9-2 in the new year until Friday's 112-95 setback to the Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers stormed out to a 41-26 lead and that was too much of a deficit to overcome for Chicago, which gave up 15 points on just eight turnovers.

Los Angeles made 10 of its first 11 3-pointers of the game before finishing 13-of-21 from beyond the arc.

"We didn't cover the (3-point) line at all, so they pretty much had their way," Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau said.

Carlos Boozer returned from a calf injury to record 22 points and nine rebounds, while Taj Gibson posted 18 points off the bench and Mike Dunleavy scored 17 in the win.

The Bulls are 8-12 away from the Windy City and will play seven of the next eight games on the road.

Charlotte is fortunate not to have too much time to dwell on Friday's 125-96 disaster against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Knicks star Carmelo Anthony lit up the Bobcats for a franchise-record and MSG-record 62 points on 23-of-35 shooting and 6-of-11 3-pointers.

Anthony made a perfect 10-of-10 from the foul line in breaking Bernard King's previous club standard of 60 points set on Christmas Day of 1984.

"He's one of the best scorers in the world," Bobcats big man Al Jefferson said. "Melo took it to another level."

Jefferson paced the Bobcats with 25 points and nine rebounds. Chris Douglas- Roberts had 14 points for Charlotte, which came in having won two straight despite leading scorer Kemba Walker sitting out with a sprained ankle for a third game in a row. Walker is expected to miss at least two weeks.

Ramon Sessions ended with 12 points in the loss.

After Charlotte, which is 11-12 at home, entertains the Bulls, it will head west for four games against Denver, the Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix and Golden State.

Chicago has beaten Charlotte twice already this season -- both games at the United Center -- is riding a four-game winning streak in the series and sports an 11-3 record in the previous 14 matchups between the teams.

The Bulls are unbeaten in the last four trips to Charlotte.






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