Four takeaways from the Charlotte Hornets’ road loss to the Milwaukee Bucks
The Charlotte Hornets fall to 0-2 on the road as they lose a close game to the Milwaukee Bucks, 103-94.
After defeating the Atlanta Hawks in their previous outing, the Charlotte Hornets were unable to contain Giannis Antetokounmpo as they dropped a road game to the Milwaukee Bucks. The loss takes Steve Clifford’s side to 1-2 on the season. They have now dropped their last three regular-season games to Milwaukee.
Injury Issues
The Hornets have played without their starting wings Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (death in the family) and Nicolas Batum (elbow) through the first three games of the season and without their backup center Cody Zeller (knee) the last two games. The backup point guard Julyan Stone is slated to miss a month with a hamstring strain and with Michael Carter-Williams (knee) still out the Hornets have no true point guard behind Walker.
On the bright-side, Kidd-Gilchrist will likely be back on the court for Charlotte’s next game against the Nuggets on Wednesday. For a team that already couldn’t afford any more injuries, they really can’t afford any more injuries.
More from Swarm and Sting
- Hornets: Where does Brandon Miller’s ceiling rank among other rookies?
- Charlotte Hornets grade out mostly average in position-by-position ranking
- Hornets News: P.J. Washington makes bold statement on Brandon Miller
- Grade the mock trade: Hornets snag Tyler Herro, flip Gordon Hayward
- Will the Charlotte Hornets be in the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery?
Poor Perimeter Play
Outside of Frank Kaminsky, who had another strong game finishing with 18 points on six of eight shooting and three of four from downtown, no one shot well from the perimeter. Jeremy Lamb, Kemba Walker, Marvin Williams, Malik Monk, and Dwayne Bacon shot a combined 17 of 54 (31.4%) from the field and four of 22 (18%) from deep. Milwaukee is one of the better teams at defending the perimeter with long athletic guards who can switch everything and force you to alter your shots.
Free Throw Woes
The Hornets did a great job of defending without following against the Bucks. Milwaukee only attempted eight free throws through three quarters and 16 for the game. Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has averaged over 10 free throw attempts a game through his first three games, had just eight for the game and only two prior to the fourth quarter.
Charlotte managed to get to the line 36 times but only hit 21 going 58 percent on freebies. Dwight Howard finished the game without connecting on a single free throw despite attempting nine.
This is a team that had the best free throw percentage in the league last season making 78 percent of their attempts.
Dwight’s Defense
Although Dwight couldn’t hit a single free throw he had a very good game on the other side of the ball. Howard continues to dominate the glass as he pulled down 22 boards against the Bucks. He has snatched down 52 rebounds through his first three games leading the league in defensive rebounds. Howard continues to make a huge impact inside the paint with four blocks on the night. Howard has had a fantastic start to the season with averages of 12.7ppg 17.3rpg and 2.3bpg.
Next: Charlotte's keys to 45 wins
Charlotte will get a second crack at taking on the Milwaukee Bucks and the “Greek Freak” next week, November 1st at the hive.