3 things to watch as red-hot Milwaukee Bucks host Charlotte Hornets

Following a sweep of their mini two-game road trip, the Milwaukee Bucks are back home for the first night of a back-to-back as they host the Charlotte Hornets. The Bucks are one of the hottest teams in the league, winning seven straight, have gone 9-2 in their last eleven games, and are finally healthy.

The Hornets were equally hot, having won eight of nine this month but have since dropped their last two games to start their four-game road trip. The Bucks have gone 6-4 against the Hornets over the last three seasons, including the Hornets winning two of three against the Bucks last season with one of them being the lone game in Milwaukee (although none of the Bucks starters played in that game).

Although the Bucks do have some reinforcements on the way, they’ll be with the same group as they’ve had for the last seven games. This certainly won’t be an easy one for the Bucks as the Hornets are an interesting matchup for them, so let’s dive into some things to look out for in this one.

Giannis Antetokounmpo should feast in the paint against the Charlotte Hornets

It typically doesn’t matter who he’s playing, Giannis Antetokounmpo will find a way to dominate the paint. But it’s easier against certain teams and one of them is the Hornets.

Through their first 23 games, the Hornets have allowed the fifth-most shots at the rim (28.5) and teams are shooting over 65 percent on those rim attempts. Typically looking at field goal percentage by shooting zone isn’t a great metric for how a defense is performing (a high 3-point percentage against doesn’t usually indicate bad defense, but bad luck), but field goal percentage allowed at the rim and how many shots a team allows at the rim have a strong correlation for how good or bad a defense is.

For the Hornets, this is due to a severe lack of size, and with Mason Plumlee questionable, they will be even more undersized. Antetokounmpo averaged over 31 points in his two games against Charlotte last season and shot 70 percent (21-of-30) on his 2-point attempts.

Tonight’s game shouldn’t be any different. The Hornets have the league’s fourth-worst defensive rating at 111.3, with a lot of their issues coming on the interior of their defense. With or without Plumlee, expect Antetokounmpo to dominate the paint.