035: With Pippen's "assistance," rising to the top is fast.

At last, the Charlotte Hornets became yet another soul vanquished by the Bulls.

With a score of 96 to 89, the Bulls triumphed by seven points in the opening game.

Pippen grabbed a significant double-double with 18 points and 16 rebounds, displaying relentless dedication on defense. As the theoretical leading star, he even showed great enthusiasm for the gritty task of rebounding.

This showed just how much Scottie Pippen wanted to be a great leader, wishing he could do everything himself and carry the team on his shoulders.

However, his shooting percentage was ultimately only 30%, which meant that the Bulls were still unable to pull away to a comfortable lead in the final moments.

Therefore, the real dagger that pierced the Hornets' heart today was actually Roger.

Roger made 11 out of 18 shots, scoring 25 points with a shooting percentage of 61.1%.