CHARLOTTE—Nikola Mirotic scored 24 points, Rajon Rondo had a season-high 20 in his return to the starting lineup and the Bulls beat the Charlotte Hornets 115-109 on Monday night to snap a season-high, five-game losing streak.Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler each had 23 points for the Bulls (32-35), who got a needed win to boost their hopes of earning the eighth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.Mirotic, who didn’t play in the Bulls loss to Boston on Sunday, had five 3-pointers, while Rondo provided the spark for the Bulls in his first start since Dec. 30. Along with hitting a season-high three 3-pointers, he had six assists and seven rebounds.Jeremy Lamb scored 26 points filling in for Nic Batum (migraine), while Michael Kidd-Gilchrist had 22 and Kemba Walker 21 for the struggling Hornets. Marvin Williams had 13 points and tied a career high with 18 rebounds.Looking to provide an early spark to his struggling offense, Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg went with Rondo over Jerian Grant as the starting point guard. The move couldn’t have worked better, as the Bulls scored 36 points in the first quarter – two shy of their season high – after knocking down 8 of 13 3-pointers.Rondo had three of those 3-pointers and added three assists as the Bulls built a 12-point, first-quarter lead.The Hornets battled back from 16 points down to tie the game in the third quarter at 69 but could never take the lead. Every time Charlotte got close, Mirotic seemed to come up with a big basket.

NOTES—The Bulls made 11 of their first 19 3-pointers, but cooled off significantly after the middle of the second quarter, finishing 14 of 40 from beyond the arc. … Outscored the Hornets 18-2 on fast-break points. … Wade, Rondo and Butler were all 8 of 15 from the field…..Frank Kaminsky returned after missing the last five games with a sprained AC joint. … Carolina Panthers perennial Pro Bowl linebacker Luke Kuechly had a front row seat to the game along with Panthers coach Ron Rivera….The Bulls return home to face Grizzlies on Wednesday night.