G Nicolas Batum continued what has been a torrid December on Friday night with his first triple-double of the season as the Hornets beat the Chicago Bulls 103-91 at the Spectrum Center.Batum finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for his seventh career triple-double and his third while with the Hornets. He was 7 of 15 from the field with one 3-pointer."This was good for us," Batum said. "It was like a playoff game tonight. The crowd was really into it, and that was a good team we beat. So this is good for us in the long run."Batum came into the game averaging 15 points, 8.5 rebounds and 5.4 assists in December. Earlier in the month, he had 14 points and 15 rebounds each in successive games against Dallas and Detroit. He has now had four double-doubles and one triple-double in the month.

G Nicolas Batum tallied 23 points and 10 assists, hit a 12-foot bank shot with 13 seconds left for a 115-113 lead and then tacked on two free throws with six seconds left for the final margin. "When they gave me the ball, I was looking for Kemba (Walker) to get the ball back, but they were denying him," Batum said. "So he just told me, 'Just go, Nic, you got it.' I thought, 'Okay, this may be my chance to win the game.' I knew I had to do a better job tonight because I had a chance to close the game in Boston and I didn't do it. So I had to do it tonight."

G Nicolas Batum had 22 points and 10 rebounds Friday.

G Nicolas Batum had 20 points and eight assists Wednesday in the Hornets' loss at Washington.

G Nicolas Batum was 0 of 6 from inside the 3-point arc Monday in Charlotte's loss at Indiana. He finished with 13 points.

G Nicolas Batum led the way with 16 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, missing out on what could have been his fourth double-double in a row. He has averaged 14.7 points, 11.5 rebounds and 7.3 assists in his last four games.

G Nicolas Batum finished with 14 points and 15 rebounds Wednesday in the Hornets' win over the Pistons.

G Nicolas Batum (14 points and 15 rebounds) and F Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (11 points and 12 rebounds) both had double-doubles Monday..

F Nicolas Batum added 18 points Friday.

F Nicolas Batum led the Hornets with 24 points and 10 rebounds.

F Nicolas Batum had 18 points and nine rebounds for Charlotte in a win at Brooklyn on Friday.

F Nicolas Batum took matters into his own hands by scoring 17 third-quarter points and the Hornets were able to dominate the quarter en route to a 109-93 win over the Philadelphia 76ers at the Spectrum Center.Batum, a nine-year veteran guard who signed a five-year, $120 million contract over the summer, finished with 20 points, seven rebounds and four assists. He said he challenged himself to pick up his intensity at halftime after going 1 of 5 from the field in the first half."I had to get more aggressive," Batum said. "The first week and a half (of the season) I was too passive and just tried to move the ball and get everybody involved."So sometime I have to look for my shot, and I had to do it. I had to step up. I wasn't playing like myself. That's why I had to step up, and in the third quarter I was able to hit some shots and get my rhythm back."Batum was 6 of 8 from the field with three 3-pointers in the third quarter, and the Hornets were 16 of 22 from the field in the quarter with five triples.

F Nicolas Batum agreed to a five-year, $120 million deal to re-sign with the Hornets, according to multiple reports Friday.The deal reportedly includes a player option on the final season.Batum, 27, had scheduled a Friday meeting with the Mavericks but struck a deal hours into free agency to remain in Charlotte. He averaged a career-high 14.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.8 assists with the Hornets last season.

Free agent forward Nicolas Batum agreed to a five-year, $120 million deal to re-sign with the Charlotte Hornets, according to multiple reports Friday.The deal reportedly includes a player option on the final season. Free agents can officially sign contracts on July 7 when the the free-agency moratorium is lifted.Batum, 27, had scheduled a Friday meeting with the Dallas Mavericks but struck a deal hours into free agency to remain in Charlotte.Batum averaged a career-high 14.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.8 assists with the Hornets last season.Batum helped the Hornets win 48 games, 15 more than they won the previous season, and return to the playoffs for just the second time in the last six seasons. The Hornets earned the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs before losing to the Miami Heat in seven games in the first round.The Hornets acquired Batum last summer in a trade with Portland, where he spent his first seven seasons.

F Nicolas Batum (left foot) was hobbled but scored 10 points in 29 minutes Sunday in Game 7 against Miami.

G Nicolas Batum reinjured his ankle and did not play in the second half, finishing with six points and one rebound in 15 minutes. Batum missed Games 3 and 4 previously with the injury

F Nicolas Batum (foot) returned after missing two games and scored eight points. Normally a starter, Batum volunteered to come off the bench so as to not disrupt team chemistry.

F Nicolas Batum, who suffered a strained left ankle in Game 2 on Wednesday and did not play in Game 3 on Saturday was not available Monday.

G/F Nicolas Batum had nine points and seven rebounds but left early in the fourth quarter with a sprained left ankle and did not return. Hornets coach Steve Clifford said Batum was experiencing soreness in his ankle postgame, but had no update on his status for Game 3.

G/F Nicolas Batum scored four points in the second half Sunday on 1-of-5 shooting from the field. Batum finished with 24 points."That was a very bad game," Batum said. "We got to get ready for the next game. We got to regroup ourselves."Batum tested his sore left ankle in workouts before Game 1 to gauge his availability for the series opener. He sat out Charlotte's regular-season finale against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday.