The Milwaukee Bucks will look to get back into the win column as they visit the Charlotte Hornets Saturday night in the second of a back-to-back.
Charlotte is 8-11 on the season, currently sitting at 9th place in the Eastern Conference standings. They started the year off relatively solid, but have lost six of their last eight games, struggling mightily of late. Still, this is a well-rounded Charlotte roster, and with momentum from a win over the Indiana Pacers Friday night, they could certainly give the Bucks a run for their money.
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With an 11-7 record overall, the Bucks had finally started to get into a groove it appeared before losing 131-126 to the 14th seeded New Orleans Pelicans Friday night. The Bucks did show relentlessness as they battled back from down 29 points in the first half, but this loss shows that there is plenty of work left for this team to do.
Milwaukee can start getting back on the right track with a much-needed win tonight in Charlotte. If the Bucks are going to walk out of the Spectrum Center as the winning team, here are three keys to victory they should look to utilize.
First key to victory versus Charlotte Hornets: Milwaukee Bucks need to win the first quarter
Although it sounds relatively simple, a big first quarter will put the Milwaukee Bucks in the best position to win this contest. The Charlotte Hornets are among the worst first quarter scoring teams in the association, putting up just 25.9 points throughout the first 12 minutes of action. That lands that at 24th overall in that department, and capitalizing early will be crucial for the Bucks.
The Bucks have been one of the best first quarter scoring teams in the entire association up to this point, currently putting up 30.9 points in the period, tied for first best. They have set the tone from the opening tip thanks to their league-best offense, and they will need to continue that first quarter dominance in this matchup with the Hornets.
As seen in Friday’s matchup with New Orleans, a bad first quarter does not bode well for Milwaukee. The Bucks trailed by 14 after the first in that contest as they managed to put up a measly 21 points, looking like a shell of their typical selves. Finding their identity early on with be critical against this Hornets team.