The Chicago Bulls defeated the Charlotte Hornets, 120-99, at Spectrum Center on Thursday evening.

The Bulls (27-39) and the Hornets (33-33) met Thursday in a battle between two teams fighting for a spot in the play-in tournament, but the Bulls got off to a stronger start and that would be everything they'd need to come away with the victory in this one. The Bulls jumped out to a 34-24 lead in the first quarter and that'd be all the edge they'd need the rest of the way, as the Hornets were unable to pose much of a threat the rest of the contest. Charlotte won the second quarter by a 29-25 score and made it a six-point game by halftime, but Chicago closed any door of a potential comeback following a 37-21 lead in the third quarter. The Hornets won the final quarter by a one-point margin (25-24) but the game was completely decided by then -- the Bulls secured a huge win that keeps their play-in chance alive with only a few games left in the schedule.

Nikola Vucevic was the best player on the court for the Bulls, as he finished with a team-high 29 points while also adding 14 rebounds, three assists and two steals. Zach LaVine returned from a lengthy absence and posted 14 points with three rebounds and two assists while logging just 27 minutes, and Coby White chipped in with 14 points, six dimes and four boards. Patrick Williams notched 11 points with nine rebounds, and Garrett Temple added 12 points off the bench.

P.J. Washington contributed 24 points to lead the Hornets in this one, but his efforts weren't enough -- he also had six boards, two rebounds and two steals. Terry Rozier had 12 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals. LaMelo Ball had four points while shooting 1-10 FG. Malik Monk had 20 points.