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Bulls-Hornets Preview

Nov 3, 2015 - 2:55 AM The Chicago Bulls aren't suffering from a lack of vision. The Charlotte Hornets are hoping theirs will start to pay off.

With Derrick Rose's eyesight forcing him to alter his game, the Bulls look to continue their strong start Tuesday night and send the Hornets to their worst in 26 years.

Injuries have plagued Rose over the past four seasons and 2015-16 hadn't even started yet before he took the latest blow. The 2010-11 NBA MVP suffered a broken orbital bone and underwent surgery after taking an elbow to the face in practice during the preseason.

Rose's vision is still blurred, but he's found a way to make an impact for Chicago (3-1) with a different approach.

The point guard averages 20.3 points for his career, but the injury combined with wearing a protective mask has forced him to change from scorer to distributor.

Rose scored six points Sunday, but his season-high eight assists were vital in a 92-87 win over Orlando. He went 2 for 8 from the floor, a significant drop from his career 17.2 attempted field goals per game.

"There is no point in shooting the ball if I can't see," Rose said.

He's seeing Nikola Mirotic emerge into a major scoring threat, averaging 18.8 points after posting 10.2 as a rookie last season. The forward's early season success can be traced to a 46.8 shooting percentage from 3-point range.

Mirotic's 28 points were one short of a career high and he added eight rebounds while hitting 10 of 19 from the floor in a 98-89 win over Charlotte (0-3) on March 23.

Pau Gasol chipped in with 27 points, 12 boards and four blocks, giving him averages of 22.6, 11.4 and 2.4 over his last five meetings. The veteran center enters this matchup with 16 points in three consecutive games, connecting on 21 of 39 field goals over that stretch.

"There is no burden on one person on the team or one person to carry the load," Rose told the Bulls' official website. "That is exciting; everybody is trying to invest in the team."

While the Bulls are closing in on matching their 5-1 start from last season, the Hornets are on the cusp of their worst start since losing their first five in 1989-90.

Kemba Walker's 17-footer at the buzzer rimmed out in Sunday's 94-92 defeat to Atlanta in Charlotte's home opener. That came two days after he missed a 3 in the final seconds of a 97-94 loss in the opener of the home-and-home set.

Charlotte, though, isn't frustrated since eight players on the roster have three seasons or less of NBA experience.

"We have a young new team and we missed some execution at the end," said forward Nicolas Batum, acquired in a trade from Portland over the summer. "We have to learn from those games. It's still early in the season, but we're right there - we're going to be OK."

Batum was 5 of 14 from the field to finish with a season-high 16 points Sunday.

Walker is averaging a team-best 16.3 points after scoring 17. He had 29 against the Bulls in March, while Batum has totaled that much over his last three matchups.

It's unclear if the Hornets will have 7-foot forward Cody Zeller available due to dehydration.

"Cody couldn't practice (Monday)," coach Steve Clifford said. "In the last week and a half, he's lost eight to 10 pounds. He gained some of it back."