Why are the Bulls so much better at home?

The obvious answer is the Bulls are a sub-.500 team starting three players who never before were regular NBA starters. That equals inconsistency. Becoming a solid pro in the NBA means producing on a constant level. Noah, Tyrus Thomas and even Rose, the latter the more reliable of the three but with four points on two of nine shooting Saturday, give you varying efforts from game to game. Plus, young players are more comfortable at home, where the Bulls now are 20-11 and just 30-37 overall.

Basketball is a game of aggression. Young players, especially, tend to be more aggressive when comfortable. They are more comfortable at home where people are cheering for them. So they generally play harder, thus also getting more foul calls because they are the aggressors. Typically, that changes on the road, where the noise and attitude is against them. So they hesitate. It’s why you win with veterans, who have been through it and know how to be aggressive home and away.

Plus, there’s the lack of an inside scoring presence. Even in a blowout win like this, the Bulls still were outscored in the paint as the Hornets plan, however unsuccessful this time, was to create the mismatches on the Bulls switches and then score inside. But West was ineffective, and nobody else really has inside presence.