Bridges and Miller help the Hornets beat the Bulls 112-99

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Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis, center, shoots against Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller, right, and guard Kon Knueppel, bottom left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Matt Marton)

Chicago Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu, center, loses the ball to Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel (7) and guard Collin Sexton during the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Matt Marton) — Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis, center, shoots against Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller, right, and guard Kon Knueppel, bottom left, during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Matt Marton)

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10:39 PM on Saturday, January 3

By JAY COHEN

CHICAGO (AP) — Miles Bridges had 26 points and 14 rebounds, helping the Charlotte Hornets beat the Chicago Bulls 112-99 on Saturday night.

Brandon Miller scored 22 points for Charlotte, and Kon Knueppel finished with 18. LaMelo Ball added 17 points and seven assists.

The Hornets had lost three straight and five of seven. They improved to 5-2 on the second day of back-to-back games.

Nikola Vucevic had 28 points, eight assists and seven rebounds for Chicago, which had won two in a row and seven of nine overall. Matas Buzelis scored 17 points.

The Bulls closed out a 3-3 homestand after they beat the Magic 121-114 on Friday night.

Charlotte trailed by 15 before moving in front with a big third quarter, outscoring Chicago 32-17 in the period. Miller made three of the Hornets' seven 3-pointers in the third, and the Bulls shot 21.7% (5 for 23) from the field in the quarter.

Miller's 3 made it 82-73 with 49.3 seconds left, but Ayo Dosunmu's driving layup trimmed Chicago's deficit to seven going into the fourth.

The Hornets pulled away with a 10-0 run in the final period. Miller capped the decisive stretch with a fadeaway jumper that made it 105-87 with 4:01 left.

Charlotte outrebounded Chicago 52-43 while playing with a depleted frontcourt. Moussa Diabate (wrist), Ryan Kalkbrenner (elbow), Mason Plumlee (groin surgery), Grant Williams (knee surgery) and Tidjane Salaun (ankle soreness) were sidelined by injuries.

Bulls guards Josh Giddey (left hamstring) and Coby White (right calf) each missed their third consecutive game after they got hurt in a loss to Minnesota on Monday night. Jalen Smith departed in the third quarter after a collision with Ball, and the Bulls said he was being evaluated for a concussion.

The Bulls had a 58-50 lead at the break. Dosunmu scored 14 points in the first half on 6-for-7 shooting, including a half-court buzzer-beater at the end of the first quarter.

Up next

Hornets: At Oklahoma City on Monday night.

Bulls: At Boston on Monday night.

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