Hornets Light Up Chicago: Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel Lead Historic Road Win 131-99

The Charlotte Hornets didn’t just win on Tuesday night. They dominated, dismantled, and delivered a performance that had United Center fans heading for the exits early.

Brandon Miller poured in 23 points, rookie sensation Kon Knueppel added 21, and the Hornets scorched the nets from deep in a convincing 131-99 victory over the Chicago Bulls. The win marked Charlotte’s eighth consecutive road victory—a new franchise record that has this young squad riding a wave of confidence few saw coming.

“This team is special,” Miller said after the game, still catching his breath from the third-quarter explosion that buried the Bulls.

Historic Three-Point Barrage Powers Hornets

The Hornets shot an efficient 51.6% from the field, but it was their work from beyond the arc that stole the show. Charlotte connected on 25 of 57 three-point attempts—falling just one shy of the franchise record. More impressively, they became the first NBA team ever to record 25 or more three-pointers in back-to-back games.

LaMelo Ball chipped in 16 points and seven assists, orchestrating Charlotte’s offense with his usual flair. Miles Bridges, returning from a four-game suspension stemming from the Detroit fight on February 9, looked fresh and focused, contributing 16 points and seven rebounds.

But it was the third quarter that broke Chicago’s back.

Third Quarter Destruction

Trailing by just one at halftime, 56-55, the Hornets exploded out of the break with authority. They outscored the Bulls 42-16 in the third quarter, including a devastating 22-2 run that turned a competitive game into a rout.

Knueppel caught fire midway through the period, hitting back-to-back threes as part of a personal 10-point surge that pushed Charlotte’s lead to 14. Miller followed suit, draining his next three shots—including one of his five triples on the night—to extend the margin to 88-65.

The rookie Knueppel also made history in the process. With three more three-pointers on six attempts, he reached 201 career long-range makes in just his 58th game, becoming the fastest player in NBA history to hit the 200 three-pointer milestone.

“Kon’s special,” said former Bulls guard Coby White, making his Hornets debut against his old team.

Bulls Can’t Stop the Bleeding

For Chicago, the loss extended their skid to 10 straight games—matching their longest losing streak since January 2019. Despite a career-high 32 points from Matas Buzelis, who shot an impressive 13-for-19 from the field and 6-for-11 from deep, the Bulls couldn’t overcome their turnover issues. Chicago coughed the ball up 19 times, leading to easy transition opportunities for Charlotte’s young guns.

Patrick Williams and Guerschon Yabusele each added 11 points, but it wasn’t nearly enough against a Hornets team that seemed to have an answer for everything the Bulls threw at them.

“I want to win games,” Buzelis said postgame, deflecting praise for his scoring outburst.

White’s Homecoming

The storyline within the storyline was Coby White’s return to Chicago. Dealt at the trade deadline earlier this month after spending 6½ seasons with the Bulls, White entered midway through the first quarter to a warm video tribute from the United Center crowd.

He responded with 10 points in 15 minutes, looking comfortable in his new threads and already developing chemistry with his new teammates.

“It felt good to be back,” White admitted. “But at the end of the day, I’m focused on helping this team win.”

What’s Next

The Hornets (28-31) will look to extend their road winning streak when they visit Indiana on Thursday. Charlotte sits just 3.5 games behind Orlando for first place in the Southeast Division—a position that seemed improbable just weeks ago.

The Bulls (24-35), meanwhile, will try to snap their losing streak when they host Portland on Thursday. With the trade deadline in the rearview mirror and the playoffs slipping further away, Chicago faces some difficult questions about the direction of this rebuild.

For now, though, this night belonged to Charlotte—a team that’s writing its own history, one three-pointer at a time.