CHICAGO — Another weak second-half showing led to the Charlotte Hornets losing to the Chicago Bulls Wednesday night.
In their lowest offensive performance of the season, Charlotte fell 106-88 to the Bulls (5-4) and now hold a 3-5 record.
The Hornets led by as much as four points, holding a 18-14 advantage near the end of the first quarter, but trailed for most of the game.
Charlotte tried to keep things close in the second quarter, but the Bulls scored 34 points in the period and took a nine-point lead into the half.
In the second half, the Bulls ran away with the game. Charlotte failed to score over 20 points in the third and fourth quarters and was outscored 46-36.
Inefficient shooting held the Hornets largely off the board for much of the night. The Hornets managed to make just 39 percent of their shots, a mark anchored by a 7 for 32 3-point stat line. Charlotte also only managed to make 56 percent of free throws on the night.
Chicago, meanwhile, did not fare much better with a 43 percent shooting mark, but that slight difference gave them the advantage.
Charlotte's Kelly Oubre Jr. led the game with 24 points scoring, tying his season high. Oubre's total was highlighted by five 3-pointers. Mason Plumlee and Jalen McDaniels were the next highest-scoring Hornets, both notching 11 points.
Chicago's scorers failed to eclipse the 20-point mark. The leading Bulls scorer was Javonte Green, who managed 17 points while making 10 of 10 field goals, including three 3-pointers. Green's only miss on the night came on his only free throw attempt.
The game is the second in a row that a lackluster second half prevented the Hornets from a win. Against the Sacramento Kings, Charlotte led before being outscored 37-18 in the third quarter as they eventually lost by seven points.
Charlotte now sits 12th in the Eastern Conference Standings. The Bulls are now in 6th place.
The Hornets stay on the road for their next game in a matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies (4-3).