CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Nicolas Batum is showing why the Charlotte Hornets gave him a five-year, $120 million contract during the offseason.

The 6-foot-8 guard 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.

"I think he's played a bunch of games in a row, going back about 2 1/2 weeks to when he had the two 15-rebound games, where he's really been on the attack," Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. "He's played well in all areas -- his rebounding, his defense and his offense."

Kemba Walker also scored 20 points for the Hornets, who led by as many as 14 in the fourth quarter and had the game in control for most of the second half.

Frank Kaminsky and Cody Zeller scored 13 points each and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had 12 points and nine rebounds for Charlotte.

The Hornets (17-13) have now won three straight.

"I just think we had the right attitude tonight," Clifford said. "It's like with anything, when you have the right attitude, the right approach, you have a better chance to play well, and that's what we're doing. Just a lot of effort plays tonight. Nic was terrific, and a lot of other guys made a lot of good plays."

The Bulls (14-15) have lost two straight to fall below .500 for the first time this season.

Chicago had a miserable stretch in the second quarter, going 12 straight possessions and 6:18 without scoring. And then the Bulls completely unraveled at the end, with Robin Lopez and Taj Gibson both ejected with 38.1 seconds remaining and the Hornets leading 98-89.

Lopez received a Flagrant-2 foul for a sharp elbow to the Hornets' Marvin Williams, and Gibson picked up his second technical foul of the night in the ensuing chaos.

"It was pretty contentious," Lopez said. "Tempers flared a little bit. Basketball's a passionate game. I play with passion. Obviously it didn't go the way we wanted."

Jimmy Butler led the Bulls with 26 points. Doug McDermott scored 15 points, Dwyane Wade had 12, Nikola Mirotic added 12 and Gibson finished with 10.

"I thought our competitive spirit was good tonight," Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg said. "The second quarter obviously we lost our rhythm in a big way. I think we had 10 points in the quarter with under four minutes to go. To allow them to take the momentum into halftime was a tough quarter.

"We came out again and I thought we fought and cut that thing back and gave ourselves a chance to win. Then obviously things unraveled at the end."

NOTES: The Bulls were without G Michael Carter-Williams (sprained wrist). ... The Hornets have been injury free for the last nine games but lost G Marco Belinelli to a sprained ankle in the second quarter. ... The Hornets were coming off a 117-113 win over the LA Lakers on Tuesday when they rallied from a 19-point deficit. They have won after trailing by double digits a league-leading eight times this season. ... The Bulls were coming off a 107-97 loss to Washington on Wednesday, when they blew a 13-point lead. ... Hornets G Kemba Walker leads in the NBA in points off pick-and-roll plays, averaging 12 per game. ... The Bulls are last in the league in fourth-quarter scoring, averaging just 22.5 points, but it was a 14-point second quarter that hurt them Friday. ... The Hornets had their third sellout of the season at the Spectrum Center. ... The Hornets will play at Brooklyn on Monday. The Bulls will return home to host Indiana on Monday. ... This was the first of three meetings between the Hornets and Bulls. They'll play again Jan. 2 in Chicago.