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

The Milwaukee Bucks will need to contain the Charlotte Hornets’ transition offense

On the other side of the ball for the Hornets, they’re one of the league’s best offenses which help make up for their defensive inefficiencies. They have the fifth-best offensive rating at 111.2 and they are terrific both in the halfcourt and in transition.

However, they’re much scarier when they have the opportunity to get out and run. Per Cleaning the Glass (subscription required), they’re the fourth-best transition offense and a lot of that is powered by getting out and running off of steals.

That is where the matchup can be a little bit scary for the Bucks who sit near the bottom five in turnover rate during their last seven games at over 15 percent. The good news is that under head coach Mike Budenholzer, the Bucks have been a great transition defense team, and have been the best transition defense after the opponent steals the ball.

LaMelo Ball leads the dance for this team with 19.3 points and 8.2 assists per game (sixth in assists per game this season) and his running mate, Miles Bridges, is having a breakout season also averaging over 19 points per game.

They are also getting great offensive contributions from Terry Rozier (18.2 PPG), Gordon Hayward (17.2 PPG, 40.4 percent from 3), and Kelly Oubre (14.9 PPG, career-high 36.6 percent from 3), so they are more than capable of putting up a ton of points.

The Hornets are a young team that plays with a lot of pace and loves to get out and run. While they’re still a very good halfcourt offense, limiting their chances to get out and run or simply being able to contain them when they get those chances will be huge for the Bucks’ success in this one.