Following a six-game road swing, the Milwaukee Bucks will finally return home and play their first game at Fiserv Forum since March 27.
It will be a quick visit home to host the Charlotte Hornets before hitting the road once again for a three-game trip. Charlotte has taken a surprising leap in the Eastern Conference standings this season, currently occupying the East’s fourth seed with a 26-24 record, just one slot behind the Bucks at 32-19.
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While each team’s place in the standings currently does not align for that to happen, the standings in this conference are unpredictable as ever. Charlotte sits at fourth in the standings, but that is prone to change drastically with each passing game as teams four-through-nine are separated by just three games in total.
While that sets the stage for an unpredictable finish as the regular season begins winding down, it is feasible to believe that these two teams could come face to face in the postseason.
While we’ll wait to see that unfold, here are three things to keep in mind as these two teams face off tonight in a potential preview of the playoffs.
Long distance shooting will play a big factor for the Milwaukee Bucks versus the Charlotte Hornets
Hitting 39.2 percent of their shots from 3-point territory this season, the Bucks are one of the best teams in the association at knocking down the long ball. The problem for Milwaukee is not shooting triples, but stopping their opponents from knocking them down consistently.
The Bucks’ opponents are hitting 37.6 percent of their shots from behind the arc this season, the seventh-worst mark in the association. Opposing teams continue to exploit Milwaukee’s most prominent flaw in the Mike Budenholzer era, just as the Hornets did earlier in their first meeting of the season with the Bucks.
Charlotte shot 21-of-44 (47.7 percent) from deep in that matchup, burying the Bucks with a barrage of triples. Currently boasting the eighth-best 3-point percentage in the league at 37.9 percent, this is a team that could give Milwaukee trouble if they find any rhythm from the outside. Keeping that shooting at bay so history does not repeat itself will be pivotal in tonight’s matchup and anything potentially further down the road.
Surprisingly, the Hornets have hit a slump as are shooting just 31.1 percent from the perimeter in their last three contests. Still, teams tend to get hot hand shooting the ball against the Bucks, and that will certainly be something to watch for against these much-improved Hornets.
The Milwaukee Bucks and Charlotte Hornets are both banged up
Both of these teams have been hit with the injury bug lately, leaving them without some key rotational pieces.
For the Bucks, they have been without Giannis Antetokounmpo for the past three games with knee soreness. Milwaukee has gone 1-2 in his absence, and there is no doubt that they miss having the MVP in the lineup. With the playoffs nearing, Antetokounmpo’s soreness is certainly a looming issue. While nothing is confirmed, he will likely miss his fourth consecutive game tonight.
Antetokounmpo is undoubtedly the biggest missing piece that Milwaukee could have, but another player that has been sidelined recently is P.J. Tucker. The 35-year-old has appeared in just three games with the Bucks since they traded for him last month as he continues to nurse a left calf strain. The team has gotten a minimal assessment of how the forward fits in, although his reputable defense is a big reason they pushed their chips to the center of the table to acquire him.
The Hornets are also without several core players, the first being rookie phenom LaMelo Ball. The 19-year-old has been having a fantastic season that saw him skyrocket to the top of every Rookie of the Year ladder, but that came to a halt as he suffered a fractured wrist last month. Ball has since undergone surgery and has not ruled out a return to the floor this season as the Hornets remain engaged in the playoff chase.
Along with Ball, Charlotte will be without another starter for the foreseeable future in Gordon Hayward. The two-time All-Star suffered a right foot sprain earlier this month and will be reevaluated for return in approximately four weeks.
With those two key pieces out of the lineup, predicting where exactly Charlotte will finish in the standings is only further complicated. Meanwhile, the Bucks will have to battle through their own share of adversity with the health of Antetokounmpo’s knee uncertain.
Can Jrue Holiday continue his recent hot streak for the Milwaukee Bucks?
Calling Jrue Holiday’s recent play a hot streak seems to be more of an understatement. With Antetokounmpo’s knee soreness taking him in and out of the lineup, Holiday has stepped up tremendously for the Bucks in his absence.
In his last six games, Holiday is averaging 24.8 points on .584/.457/.882 shooting splits, 5.2 rebounds, seven assists, and 1.8 steals per contest. Although the guard had a disappointing performance in last night’s 116-101 loss to the Dallas Mavericks, his recent efforts overall deserve praise.
The Bucks will need another big game from the guard in tonight’s matchup against the Hornets, but even more so in a potential playoff series. Holiday will certainly be in the conversation to earn his third All-Defensive selection this season, and that defensive prowess will be critical against this Charlotte team. With a healthy LaMelo Ball and Gordon Hayward added into the equation alongside Terry Rozier and Devonte’ Graham, the Hornets have no shortage of talented pieces on the offensive side of the ball.
In tonight’s matchup, Holiday will primarily be glued to Terry Rozier, who has given Milwaukee some trouble in the past. The guard is having a career year by averaging 20.3 points, and he will be expected to carry more of the load with the injuries hitting the roster. Keeping him in check will be Holiday’s assignment defensively.
Holiday is heating up at the right time for the Bucks, and they would love to see him carry this newfound momentum up into the postseason. His fantastic two-way play was the reason they sold the farm to acquire him this past offseason, and it has been on full display as of late.
While a Bucks versus Hornets seven-game series remains purely hypothetical at the time of this writing, this two could undoubtedly clash in the coming weeks depending on how the standings shake out.