NBA: Charlotte Hornets vs. Milwaukee Bucks Preview, Odds, Prediction

The Charlotte Hornets will take on the NBA champions, the Milwaukee Bucks, tonight at Fiserv Forum. The boys from North Carolina are coming off back-to-back losses, both on the road, and hoping to surprise Wisconsin. Meanwhile, the Bucks are searching for their eighth consecutive victory and are slowly rising in the Eastern Conference standings. Giannis and the boys are done celebrating the title, and it appears that the championship hangover is over. They are fully focused on the campaign and as we see, the results are instantly coming.

Preview

Charlotte Hornets (13-10, +285) are in the middle of one pretty tough stretch, playing five of the past six games on the road and having two more before returning to North Carolina. One of them is in Milwaukee against the champs.

The Hornets lost in Houston and Chicago recently, with the event in the Windy City ending 133-119 in the Bulls’ favor. Previously, Charlotte allowed 146 points vs. Rockets, though that contest saw overtimes, yet anyway, the defense in that one was at a poor level.

Chicago was shooting 59.6% from the field, and they also limited the guests to only 34 rebounds. Terry Rozier scored 31 points, missing one three in seven shots, while Gordon Hayward ended the night with 22 buckets. LaMelo Ball had 18 points, 13 assists, and seven boards in 32 minutes, while Kelly Oubre and PJ Washington had 18 and 15 points respectively off the bench.

Milwaukee Bucks (13-8, -360) are fired up right now, having seven wins in a row, the last two away from home in Denver and Indianapolis. The Bucks would hammer the Pacers 118-100, without having any particular trouble.

They would shift into a higher gear in the third period, pulling away and outscoring the rivals, 39-27. It was all routine for Giannis and his teammates, who shot 51.3% from the field afterward, almost 10% better than the home side. The Bucks outscored the hosts from the paint, dropping 62 points, 26 more than the Pacers, who don’t have such a bad frontcourt.

Giannis had 26 bucks and 13 boards, Jrue Holiday added 23 with nine assists and seven rebounds, while Bobby Portis played another great match having 15 points and six rebounds. He covered up Brook Lopez’s absence perfectly, emerging as a surprise for both the Bucks and the rivals. Khris Middleton wasn’t in the mood in this event having only 15 points.

Head to Head Games

We didn’t see these two rivals meeting this year. But during the 2020/21 season, they had three clashes. The Hornets won in the opening two, 126-114 at home and 127-119 in Milwaukee, before suffering a loss at home 114-104.

Prediction

There isn’t really too much to say here. We have the champions riding a seven-game winning streak, which pretty much summarizes the entire situation. We can’t bet against the Bucks, who are, by the way, the hosts in this contest. When it comes to the spread, which is -8 in Milwaukee, our suggestion is not to touch it, because it is risky for prediction. On the other side, the Bucks’ victory is very realistic, and even though the profit isn’t that high, -360, the risk is very, very low.

Pick: Milwaukee Bucks win

Here is the preview for the game between the Timberwolves and the Wizards.