The Milwaukee Bucks (13-19) travel to the Spectrum Center to face Charlotte Hornets (11-20) 7pm ET. The series is currently tied 1-1, with Milwaukee winning the last encounter at home by 147-134.
Both sides have uphill tasks to qualify for the playoffs this season.
Milwaukee look like a team that can only really perform if Giannis completely takes over. The Bucks struggled when Giannis was sidelined with a right calf injury, winning just two out of eight matches averaging 104.6 PPG. However his welcomed return on Saturday saw them overcome Chicago 112-103 at the United Center.
Charlotte are a team with some great young talent in the ranks. Kon Knueppel challenging for rookie of the year, averaging 19.3 PPG on an efficient 48% FG. Lamelo Ball has also shown glimpses of his talent this season when he has been fit enough to play, averaging 19.7 PPG & 8.5 Assists per game. However Charlotte are a very inconsistent side and haven’t managed to win 3 consecutive games all season. That is the challenge that awaits tonight.
The Matchup:
Milwaukee are 5-11 on the road so far this season, however they will be encouraged by their performance on Saturday against Chicago. They rank 3rd for 3pt % in the league, and this will be highly effective against a Charlotte team that struggles with their perimeter defence.
Charlotte are 7-8 at home this season, but are without rookie star Kon Knueppel. Charlotte will hope that Miles Bridges & Lamelo Ball can shoulder the scoring responsibility tonight.
Our Prediction:
This Milwaukee side is far from where it needs to be to compete in the playoffs.
But with Charlotte missing several players tonight, I’d expect Milwaukee to have enough to cover the spread if Giannis plays well and utilises his minutes.
Recent Form:
Injury Report:
Milwaukee Bucks: Taurean Prinice (Out), Gary Trent Jr (Out)
Charlotte Hornets: Grant Williams (Out), Kon Knueppel (Out), Ryan Kalkbrenner (Out), Mason Plumlee (Out), Sion James (Questionable)