CHARLOTTE -- The Hornets looked better, but still fell 102-95 to the Bulls on Wednesday night.
1. Positives Out of a Negative
While it's true that very rarely are there moral victories in professional sports, especially for a team that has now lost 10 straight, the Hornets played better than they have in a while, despite the loss.
Charlotte (4-15) kept it close the entire game, except for one stretch near the start of the third quarter when it trailed by 13 points. However, the Hornets were able to battle back and were down just one to Chicago (12-7) entering the fourth quarter.
Moreover, Charlotte even took the lead midway through the final period. Unfortunately from that point on, the team went cold just as the Bulls were heating up from 3-point range. Chicago, which hit 12 3-pointers in the game, nailed five in the deciding fourth quarter.
Even with the loss, this one felt different. There wasn't a big collapse or a blowout. The offense also ran much smoother, despite going 2-of-15 from 3-point range.
It seemed the Hornets were getting back to normal and to where they belong.
"We played hard and we did some good things," Charlotte coach Steve Clifford said. "But obviously we didn't do enough to win."
Even so, there was definitely a different vibe in the locker room with the players. They weren't as downtrodden as they've been.
"Even though we lost, it felt like we won with the way we came together," guard Lance Stephenson said.
2. Lance Comes Alive
Even though the Hornets lost again, it has to give them some solace in that Stephenson finally came alive offensively. If they are to end this losing streak and make a run toward the playoffs, getting games like Wednesday night are a must.
It was quite a change from his last four games in which he averaged just 7.0 points per game, while shooting 30.55 percent from the field.
Things were different against the Bulls.
Right from the outset, Stephenson, who was the team's big free agent acquisition during the offseason, showed determination and a swagger that he was going to get to the basket on drives, which was where the majority of his shots came from.
Rarely did he settle for jump shots. As a result, Stephenson finished with 20 points on 9-of-18 shooting. He also had eight rebounds and four assists for good measure.
The Hornets and Stephenson hope this is a sign of things to come.
"He was aggressive getting to the basket and he rebounded the ball hard," Clifford said. "I think he's just trying to find a comfort level."
Stephenson said taking it to the rim was by design.
"I've been putting in more work in practice," he said. "I felt like I had to be more aggressive on offense. I've just got to keep grinding and help my teammates the best I can. ...
"I thought it was going to be easy coming in. It's tough learning a new offense and a new defense."
3. Putting Together a Full 48
Maybe the main thing that has put Charlotte into this 10-game losing streak is the fact that it hasn't been able to sustain solid play for the entire game. There usually is a lull or lapse in play, more times than not in the second half that has doomed the Hornets.
It was no different against the Bulls.
From the end of the second quarter to the first few minutes of the third, Chicago went on a 17-3 run and went from trailing by one to leading by 13.
It took a lot of energy for the Hornets to fight back and eventually take the lead at 78-77 with 9:18 left to play.
And by the time Chicago increased its lead to 10 less than five minutes later, Charlotte was out of gas and time.
"(Effort) wasn't the problem," Clifford said. "It's been the inability to sustain play. ... We just go through stretches. We've got to execute on every play."
17 -- Kemba Walker scored 17 of his season-high 23 points in the third quarter. It's just the second time this season he's scored 20 or more points.
4 -- As a team, the Hornets committed just five turnovers. Stephenson had four of them.
Follow Brett Jensen on Twitter @Brett_Jensen
