{"id":9208,"date":"2025-12-13T08:04:48","date_gmt":"2025-12-13T08:04:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/bulls-hornets-rally-129-126\/"},"modified":"2025-12-13T08:04:48","modified_gmt":"2025-12-13T08:04:48","slug":"bulls-hornets-rally-129-126","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/bulls-hornets-rally-129-126\/","title":{"rendered":"Bulls Rally Past Hornets 129-126 to Snap Seven-Game Skid"},"content":{"rendered":"<article>\n<h2>Lead<\/h2>\n<p>On Dec. 12, 2025 in Charlotte, the Chicago Bulls erased a 13-point second-half deficit to defeat the Charlotte Hornets 129-126, ending a seven-game losing streak. Josh Giddey led the comeback with 26 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds while Zach Collins added 16 points off the bench. Kon Knueppel paced the Hornets with a career-high 33 points and nine assists and Miles Bridges contributed 32, but Charlotte fell 129-126. The finish hinged on a reversed foul call on Collins and two late free throws by Coby White with 8.2 seconds remaining.<\/p>\n<h2>Key Takeaways<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Final score: Bulls 129, Hornets 126 on Dec. 12, 2025 in Charlotte.<\/li>\n<li>Josh Giddey posted 26 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds to anchor Chicago&#8217;s rally.<\/li>\n<li>Kon Knueppel scored a career-high 33 points with nine assists for Charlotte; Miles Bridges added 32.<\/li>\n<li>Chicago snapped a seven-game losing streak; Charlotte has lost four of five games.<\/li>\n<li>The Hornets made 16 three-pointers at 43.2%; the Bulls were 10 of 28 from deep.<\/li>\n<li>A reversed foul call on Zach Collins after replay review preserved the Bulls&#8217; late lead.<\/li>\n<li>Coby White hit two free throws with 8.2 seconds left to clinch the victory.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Background<\/h2>\n<p>The Bulls entered the matchup struggling to find consistent offense, dropping seven straight games before Friday&#8217;s contest. Chicago&#8217;s rotation has leaned on younger scorers while integrating veteran pieces; the skid increased scrutiny on ball movement and late-game execution. Charlotte came into the game with recent offensive momentum, driven by Bridges&#8217; scoring and Knueppel&#8217;s playmaking, but inconsistency on defense has produced mixed results over the last month.<\/p>\n<p>Historically, the Bulls and Hornets have traded close games this season, and Charlotte&#8217;s perimeter shooting has often been the deciding factor. Friday&#8217;s game continued that pattern: the Hornets&#8217; hot long-range shooting gave them a 61-51 halftime lead, but defensive lapses and turnovers in the third and fourth quarters allowed Chicago to mount a comeback. Both teams face condensed schedules over the coming days, with Chicago hosting New Orleans on Sunday and Charlotte traveling to Cleveland, which could affect short-term rotations and minutes.<\/p>\n<h2>Main Event<\/h2>\n<p>The Hornets built a 61-51 halftime advantage behind 20 first-half points from Miles Bridges and 17 from Kon Knueppel; the duo combined to hit 7 of Charlotte&#8217;s first-half 11 three-pointers. Charlotte extended the margin to 13 in the third quarter, appearing to seize control on the back of efficient perimeter shooting and quick transition offense. Chicago, however, chipped away through balanced scoring and defensive stops, trimming the deficit entering the fourth.<\/p>\n<p>Early in the fourth, the Bulls flipped the script. A breakaway and-one layup by Isaac Okoro gave Chicago a 102-99 lead with nine minutes remaining and signaled a momentum shift. Giddey&#8217;s playmaking and attacking the rim created more high-percentage opportunities for teammates, while Collins provided a scoring spark off the bench. With 39.1 seconds left, Giddey scored on a high-arching bank shot to push the Bulls&#8217; lead to five, a dagger before the replay review incident.<\/p>\n<p>With 10 seconds remaining Kon Knueppel launched a 3-point attempt that could have tied the game after officials initially called a foul on Zach Collins. The on-court whistle was overturned after replay review, ruling no contact and awarding possession to Chicago. Shortly after, Coby White was fouled and converted two free throws with 8.2 seconds remaining, which proved to be the final margin. Charlotte had one final scramble but could not convert a tying attempt.<\/p>\n<h2>Analysis &#038; Implications<\/h2>\n<p>The result underscores Chicago&#8217;s ability to win through balance rather than a single dominant scorer: all five Bulls starters finished in double figures, and Giddey&#8217;s 11 assists directed the comeback. For a Bulls team emerging from a losing streak, this win may provide a short-term confidence boost and buy coach and management time to evaluate rotations under pressure. However, sustained improvement will depend on defending the perimeter and limiting turnovers; Chicago allowed 16 made threes despite the victory.<\/p>\n<p>For Charlotte, the performance highlighted both strengths and vulnerabilities. The Hornets&#8217; 43.2 percent accuracy from three-point range kept them competitive and produced a 13-point lead, but defensive breakdowns in the third and fourth quarters allowed Chicago to regain control. If Charlotte continues to allow second-chance points or open drives to the rim, opponents with strong ball handlers like Giddey can exploit those gaps.<\/p>\n<p>On a roster-management level, the game spotlights depth value: Zach Collins&#8217; 16 points off the bench were key, and Josh Green&#8217;s return from offseason shoulder surgery (his first game of the season) offers Charlotte additional rotation options. Both teams face schedule pressure\u2014Chicago hosting New Orleans and Charlotte traveling to Cleveland on Sunday\u2014so minutes management and short-term recovery could shape lineups for the next two games.<\/p>\n<h2>Comparison &#038; Data<\/h2>\n<figure>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Team<\/th>\n<th>Final<\/th>\n<th>3PT (M-A)<\/th>\n<th>3PT %<\/th>\n<th>Leading Scorers<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Chicago Bulls<\/td>\n<td>129<\/td>\n<td>10-28<\/td>\n<td>35.7%<\/td>\n<td>Giddey 26, White 20, Collins 16<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Charlotte Hornets<\/td>\n<td>126<\/td>\n<td>16-37<\/td>\n<td>43.2%<\/td>\n<td>Knueppel 33, Bridges 32<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n<p>The table summarizes shooting and top scorers. Despite Chicago&#8217;s lower three-point volume, their interior scoring and free-throw opportunities in the fourth quarter offset Charlotte&#8217;s hot perimeter shooting. Turnover margin and rebounds were decisive in the final minutes; Chicago&#8217;s ability to create high-percentage looks in transition and at the rim swung the game.<\/p>\n<h2>Reactions &#038; Quotes<\/h2>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;We kept our composure down the stretch and executed the plays we practiced,&#8221; paraphrased from Bulls postgame remarks.<\/p>\n<p><cite>Bulls (postgame comments)<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;Tough finish for us\u2014our offense showed up but some late possessions didn&#8217;t go our way,&#8221; paraphrased from Hornets postgame comments.<\/p>\n<p><cite>Hornets (postgame comments)<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;The replay review was pivotal; the ruling changed the end-of-game sequence and swung momentum to Chicago,&#8221; paraphrased commentary from a game analyst during the broadcast.<\/p>\n<p><cite>Broadcast analyst (in-game commentary)<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<aside>\n<details>\n<summary>Explainer: Replay Review &#038; Game Deciders<\/summary>\n<p>NBA replay review can be used to assess potential fouls, out-of-bounds plays and other late-game calls. Officials view multiple angles before confirming or overturning on-court rulings; an overturned foul can change possession and, in close games, determine the final outcome. Teams often prepare end-of-game sets for both offensive and defensive scenarios to handle replay delays and maintain focus.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<\/aside>\n<h2>Unconfirmed<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Details of the officials&#8217; internal rationale beyond the publicly reported replay outcome have not been released.<\/li>\n<li>The long-term status and minute restrictions for Josh Green after his offseason shoulder surgery remain subject to team medical updates.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Bottom Line<\/h2>\n<p>Chicago&#8217;s 129-126 victory in Charlotte on Dec. 12, 2025, was a textbook comeback driven by balanced scoring, timely bench contributions and decisive late free throws. The Bulls end a seven-game losing run but still need defensive consistency to sustain wins against stronger opponents.<\/p>\n<p>Charlotte demonstrated elite perimeter shooting and star-level scoring from Knueppel and Bridges, but closing out late possessions remains an issue. Both teams will need to manage quick turnarounds on Sunday\u2014Chicago hosting New Orleans and Charlotte at Cleveland\u2014making recovery and rotation choices critical in the short term.<\/p>\n<h2>Sources<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nba\/recap?gameId=401836750\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ESPN recap<\/a> (sports media: game recap)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/NBA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">AP News NBA hub<\/a> (news agency)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lead On Dec. 12, 2025 in Charlotte, the Chicago Bulls erased a 13-point second-half deficit to defeat the Charlotte Hornets 129-126, ending a seven-game losing streak. Josh Giddey led the comeback with 26 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds while Zach Collins added 16 points off the bench. Kon Knueppel paced the Hornets with a &#8230; <a title=\"Bulls Rally Past Hornets 129-126 to Snap Seven-Game Skid\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/bulls-hornets-rally-129-126\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Bulls Rally Past Hornets 129-126 to Snap Seven-Game Skid\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9206,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_title":"Bulls Rally to Beat Hornets 129-126 \u2014 Insight Sports","rank_math_description":"Josh Giddey's 26 points and 11 assists and Coby White's late free throws lifted Chicago to a 129-126 comeback over Charlotte on Dec. 12, ending a seven-game skid.","rank_math_focus_keyword":"Bulls,Hornets,Giddey,Knueppel,comeback","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9208","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-top-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9208","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9208"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9208\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9206"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9208"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9208"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9208"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}