CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Charlotte Hornets were in desperate need of a break-out game, and that's precisely what they got Tuesday night.

The Hornets routed the Chicago Bulls 130-105 for their first victory of the season, on a night when virtually everything went right.

They shot 60.9 percent from 3-point range on 14 of 23, made 22 of 23 free throws, and finished at 51.6 percent from the field after shooting 58.1 percent in the first half. They also held a whopping 52-33 rebounding edge.

The Hornets had lost three straight to open the season.

"The basketball gods were with us tonight," Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. "We played with a purpose and an energy level that was good tonight. It is good to win. We've played hard. Those guys have worked hard, and now we'll see if we can build on this."

The Hornets led by as many as 35 points. They raced to a 37-20 lead after one quarter, led 69-47 at halftime, and then kept pouring it on from there.

"We were coming off a three-game losing streak and we knew we need to get a win, we really need to get some wins," guard Jeremy Lamb said. "Everybody was locked in. Everybody was ready to play. We came out and hit them in the mouth, and we never looked back."

Lamb led seven Hornets in double figures with 20 points, hitting nine of 10 from the field. The Hornets also got 18 points and eight rebounds from forward Nicolas Batum, 15 points from guard Jeremy Lin, 14 points from center Al Jefferson, 13 points each from guard Kemba Walker and center Spencer Hawes, and 10 points from P.J. Hairston.

Clifford and Lamb both said they felt this team was ready to explode, after losing to Atlanta by three and two points in their previous two games.

"I didn't know if we would win tonight, but I thought we were going to play well because we've been playing hard and we felt a sense of urgency," Clifford said.

"We were focused in practice yesterday and we translated it to the game," Lamb said. "That's what we've got to do, use practice days to get better and take it to the floor. If you don't take it to game day, it doesn't matter. But I think everybody was just focused trying to translate it to the game, and it definitely worked for us."

Clifford was also excited about his bench production, with the bench -- led by Lamb, Lin and Hawes -- combining for 71 points.

"I think our depth has to be our strength," Clifford said. "I think our starters are good, but I think that that second unit can be a big plus for us. Obviously they played very well tonight."

The Bulls (3-2) were led by guard Jimmy Butler with 26 points. Forward Doug McDermott scored 17, guard Aaron Brooks 14, center Pau Gasol 13, and forward Bobby Portis 10 in mop-up duty. Forward Nikola Mirotic finished with just five points on 2 of 11 shooting.

"It was complete domination from the tip-off," Chicago coach Fred Hoiberg said. "They had their way with us and we didn't have any fight. There was no resolve with us because we didn't try to go back at them and just accepted it tonight. You want to compete and there are times that the ball is not going to go in the basket, but you have to fight. They scored over 30 points in every quarter, and that is disappointing."

NOTES: Hornets G Jeremy Lamb had his season-high 20 points after signing a three-year, $21-million contract extension on Monday. ... The Hornets also picked up the fourth-year team option on F Cody Zeller. ... The Hornets' 130 points were the most the team has scored since the 1997-98 season, when they beat the Los Angeles Clippers 130-96. ... Bulls G Kirk Hinrich (toe) missed his third straight game and F Mike Dunleavy (back) has yet to play this season. ... The Hornets have already lost F Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (shoulder) for the season. ... Bulls F Nikola Mirotic was one for five from 3-point range, ending a streak of at least three 3-pointers in every game he had played in this season. ... The Hornets are now averaging 11.5 3-pointers made per game, second-highest in the NBA behind only Golden State. ... The Hornets will next head out for a three-game road trip, starting Thursday at Dallas. They'll also play at San Antonio and at Minnesota. ... The Bulls will return home to face Oklahoma City Thursday. Four of the Bulls' next five games are at home.