**What:** Charlotte Hornets (4-7) (1-4 away) at Milwaukee Bucks (7-5) (4-2 home)
**When:** 8:00pm Eastern
**Where:** Fiserve Forum; Milwaukee, WI
**How to watch:** FanDuel Sports Network, NBA League Pass
**Outfitting:** Hornets–Association (white), Bucks–Statement (black)
**Game Lines:** Hornets +8.5, Hornets money line +290, O/U 238.5
**Injuries:**
Hornets: LaMelo Ball-probable (ankle), Liam McNeeley-questionable (illness), Ryan Kalkbrenner-out (fatherhood), Brandon Miller-out (shoulder), Josh Green-out (shoulder), Grant Williams-out (knee)
Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo-probable (knee), Taurean Prince-out (neck), Kevin Porter Jr.-out (knee)
The Hornets and Bucks get a rematch from Wednesday’s meeting where the Hornets pretty easily handled the Giannis-less Bucks. This time, the superstars are back for both teams, and there are NBA Cup ramifications.
The Bucks are going to look like an entirely different team with Giannis back in the lineup. The team is built with him as the centerpiece and with the expectation that he’s going to be the engine of most offensive possessions. Without him, the group is just a bunch of shooters with limited creation ability. The Hornets were able to contain that group, but it’s an entirely different beast trying to contain Giannis while also accounting for the 3-point threats all around him.
Giannis’s return will make it harder for the Hornets to get stops, especially with Ryan Kalkbrenner staying home in Charlotte to be with his newborn daughter. Fortunately, their own offensive engine is back. The purple and teal have been 12.6 points per 100 possessions better on offense with their start point guard on the floor. That should make up for the tougher defensive assignment and make this more of an offensive shootout. LaMelo’s had some of the best game’s of his career against the Bucks, including a career high 50 last time he played them.
The Hornets are behind the 8-ball in the NBA Cup after suffering a significant loss to the Heat in their first game. The Hornets are going to have to win all three of their remaining group games and probably throw in some pretty significant margins of victory to have a good chance of advancing. A win against the Bucks would be a good start, as that would give every team in the group except the Heat at least one loss.
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