The Hornets swingman, a native of France, endured an emotional evening Friday night at the United Center, scoring 27 points in the Bulls’ victory after spending all of pregame checking on friends and family back home.
Advertisement
“During the whole game I was trying to get this out of my mind so I was able to stay focused”, Ajinca said after he had 10 points and nine rebounds in the loss.
Charlotte Hornets center Al Jefferson, left, shoots against Chicago Bulls center Pau Gasol during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Friday, November 13, 2015, in Chicago.
Obviously, the Hornets decision to keep looking for the deep ball didn’t work out for them in the end, but the process was for the most part a good one.
The Bulls rebounded from an embarrassing 25-point loss to the Hornets on November 3, but questions still remain about offensive consistency.
“I talked to my sister and a few friends and everybody is all right”, Batum said. McDermott told reporters, “We’ve had a couple of good practices but it’s good to play against someone else”. I’ll leave MKG alone because we are not ones to make fun of injuries.
Nicolas Batum scored 12 of his 28 points in the third quarter and was 5 of 6 from 3-point range for Charlotte.
However, he should not be expecting to be inserted to the starting five lineup vice Kemba Walker very soon as it seems that Clifford is already sold to the idea that Walker should always start at the point.
Batum also finished with eight rebounds.
“He can pass. He can shoot”.
The 27-year-old Harvard graduate has stepped up his game big time in Charlotte that he seems to have flourished under head coach Steve Clifford as one of the team’s star reserves. Bulls guard Jimmy Butler sealed the win with 5.4 seconds left by coaxing in a jumper that hit the rim and backboard before falling through for the final margin.
Lamb missed a 3-pointer with 27 seconds left that would have tied it at 100.
The Bulls outscored the Hornets 36-22 with points in the paint.
Noah (knee) will be available off the bench Friday, Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago reports.
Noah lived in Paris from 1988 to 1998, and his dad won the French Open at Paris’ Roland Garros in 1983. Jimmy Butler leads in points with 18.5 and in steals with 2.0 per game.
It’s a night that touched players on both teams deeply.
Before the game, a moment of silence was observed. Batum was on his phone until the last minute before pre-game warmups. He quietly raged Friday over terrorists turning Paris into “a war outside”. Hoiberg said this is Noah’s first setback this season and he feels “100 percent better than in Philadelphia”.
Advertisement
Batum said he was watching – online – the soccer match between France and Germany at Stade de France when two loud explosions rocked the stadium.
