Charlotte Hornets hope to rebound in the first of two straight against the Milwaukee Bucks
‘Tis the season, but Charlotte Hornets fans aren’t feeling too jolly right now. There is still plenty of time to changes things around, but as of now, things are looking more naughty than nice. Snagging two in a row against the Milwaukee Bucks sure would be a nice stocking stuffer.
The NBA is a strange thing at times. Outside of a handful of teams, you don’t really know what you’re going to get from game to game. This was supposed to be a rebound year for the Charlotte Hornets (11-20), but sadly, it has been anything but. Still, teams can get hot while others get cold, so why not the Hornets, right?
If they want to get their act together, they’ll need to start soon, so why not a back-to-back against the Milwaukee Bucks (16-13)? These two teams have already faced off against each other twice this season, with Milwaukee winning both.
Charlotte is coming off a loss to the Toronto Raptors. They are 12th in the East. Milwaukee is coming off a victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers. They are 4th in the East.
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Charlotte Hornets @ Milwaukee Bucks
8 p.m. EST, Friday, December 22rd, 2017
BMO Harris Bradley Center
Broadcast on FOX Sports Southeast
Injury Report:
CHA:
Treveon Graham – Back (Questionable)
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist – Shoulder (Questionable)
Michael Carter-Williams – Knee (Questionable)
Cody Zeller – Knee (Out)
MIL:
Mirza Teletovic – Knee (Out)
Jabari Parker – Knee (Out)
Things to keep an eye on:
In their first two games, Dwight Howard averaged16.5 rebounds a contest. In fact, Milwaukee ranks dead last in the league in rebounds per game. Look for Dwight to continue that domination. One would assume that Giannis Antetokounmpo has killed the Hornets, given how dominant he is, but it’s been Khris Middleton that has done the most damage to Charlotte. He is averaging 31.5 points per game against the Hornets in two games, so it will be interesting to see how they defend him or if he continues his dominance.
Keys to the game:
The Bucks commit the third most fouls in the league and given that Charlotte gets to the line more than any other team, Charlotte should attack the basket any way they can. This would also help get Antetokounmpo in foul trouble, limiting his time. They will also have to make those free throws, which is something that Charlotte has had trouble with this season. They currently rank 27th in free throw percentage at just under 73%, so making free throws will be key.
Next: Should Hornets' fans have tempered expectations?
Their last game ended with a 121-126 final and Charlotte played well, for the most part. If they want to attempt to split this series, they will need to play sound defense and finish at the line. We’ll see if they start this series right Friday night in Milwaukee.