Chicago @ Charlotte preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 8, 2017 ) Chicago 119, Charlotte 111

The Charlotte Hornets are attempting to climb into playoff contention, and they look to post their fifth consecutive victory when they host the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday. Charlotte has won three contests by 15 or more points during its season-high streak and has moved within four games of eighth-place Miami for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Hornets, who are clicking on all cylinders, received 51 points from their reserves in Sunday's 114-98 victory over Detroit. "I think it's the way we have played the last four games," shooting guard Nicolas Batum told reporters. "The way we start the games is pretty good with more attention on defense, and the second unit is huge for us. The bench guys that came in with the same intensity on offense and defense, we have been good so far." Chicago dropped its fourth straight game and 12th in the last 14 when it was outclassed 104-87 by Brooklyn on Monday. "That's just something that's got to be a constant - playing through the good times and the bad, handling adversity well," Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg told reporters after the setback. "You gotta keep playing through the tough times. We did not do that well."

TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBCS Chicago, FS Southeast (Charlotte)

ABOUT THE BULLS (20-40): The team still is treading carefully with Zach LaVine after his return from an ACL injury, so he was held out Monday on the front end of the back-to-back set. LaVine's absence led to Justin Holiday returning to the starting lineup after he didn't even get off the bench in the previous two contests and scored only four points on porous 1-of-11 shooting - part of the reason why Chicago shot 35.5 percent from the field. "Just one of those games, I guess," Holiday told reporters. "We didn't bring the juice. We just didn't hold up our end. We have to continue to play together and play hard, especially at the defensive end. We're still learning to do that consistently."

ABOUT THE HORNETS (27-33): All-Star guard Kemba Walker is averaging 33.5 points in two games against Chicago this season, including a season-best 47-point explosion on Nov. 17. Backup center Frank Kaminsky has made 9-of-14 3-point attempts while averaging 18 points over his last two games after averaging just three points in the previous two contests. "Everyone's being aggressive, moving the ball well and playing good defense," Kaminsky told reporters. "That's where we struggled for a lot of the season, is figuring out each other, how we're playing defense with each other. I think we've started to figure it out."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. The Bulls are 2-0 against the Hornets this season and have won each of the last four meetings.

2. Chicago PG Kris Dunn, who scored 23 points in Monday's loss, is averaging 21 along with 9.5 assists against the Hornets this season.

3. Charlotte C Dwight Howard is averaging 16.4 points and 13.6 rebounds over his last five games.

PREDICTION: Hornets 107, Bulls 101