Hornets vs. Bulls Recap: The good, the bad and the LaMelo Ball

Playing in their first game in six days, the Charlotte Hornets looked rusty for much of Friday as they fell at home to the Bulls, 123-110.

Despite starting strong in the first quarter and trailing just 30-29 heading into the second, the Hornets could not keep the pace up offensively on the night. Chicago scored at least 28 points in each quarter and at least 30 in the first three as they shot 51.6% from the field and hit 15 3-pointers.

The lead ballooned to double digits in the third and a fourth-quarter comeback from Charlotte could only cut the lead to six before Chicago put the game away late.

Gordon Hayward led the Hornets with 34 points and Devonte’ Graham had 24 points, 22 of those coming in the first half. For Chicago, Zach LaVine had 25 points, nine assists and six rebounds in the win.

The Good: Gordon Hayward's second half

With special recognition to Graham's first half, Hayward's second half was just another reminder of how good he is. As the game felt like it was slowly slipping away from the Hornets, Hayward grabbed control in the third period to keep Charlotte afloat. After having 10 points at halftime, Hayward exploded for 24 in the second half with the lion's share of those coming in the fourth quarter. Ultimately, it was for naught as the Hornets could not get stops down the stretch to complete the comeback. Honorable mentions: Graham's first half, Cody Zeller's return

The Bad: Sloppiness

The Hornets very much looked like a team that had gone nearly a week between games. While turnovers have been an on-again, off-again problem for Charlotte this season, the Hornets have hardly looked as sloppy as they did on Friday. Charlotte's 20 turnovers through three quarters allowed Chicago to extend a halftime lead to 12 points heading into the fourth. That was particularly relevant when the Hornets made their run in the fourth quarter but couldn't close the deficit enough before the Bulls blew the game open late. The silver lining is that the team did not commit a turnover in the fourth, but the damage had been long done. Honorable mentions: 3-point shooting, points in the paint

The LaMelo Ball: Rustiness leads to dud

One of the aspects of LaMelo Ball's game that has gone under the radar this year is how little he's turned the ball over. That was not the case on Friday. He had a quarter of the Hornets' 20 turnovers and some particularly costly live-ball turnovers in the third quarter, leading to him not seeing the court in the fourth. In total, Ball played 17 minutes, shooting 3-of-7 from the field and 0-of-2 from three while making his lone free throw attempt for seven points. He added two assists, one rebound and two steals.