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GAME DAY PREVIEW AND INJURY REPORT: The Milwaukee Bucks face Charlotte Hornets in an In-Season Tournament duel
Boosted by two straight wins, the Milwaukee Bucks will try to stay hot when they tangle with the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night at the Spectrum Arena.
The match-up is an In-Season Tournament duel in East Group B. The Bucks are 1-0 in the In-Season competition, while the Hornets are 1-1.
Milwaukee succumbed to back-to-back defeats but restored order by winning their last two assignments. In their last game, the Bucks survived the absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf injury) to defeat the Toronto Raptors 128-112.
Stepping up in Giannis’ absence
Damian Lillard and Malik Beasley starred in the win by coming up with 30-point performances to help the Bucks improve to 7-4 in the season. Lillard finished with 37 points and a season-high 13 assists, while Beasley had his highest-scoring night as a Milwaukee player with 30 points.
The Bucks are just 2-3 on the road, but they will be facing a Hornets team that has struggled to pick up wins at home.
Charlotte, which is on a two-game losing streak, holds a 3-7 record but is just 1-4 at home. The Hornets have lost their last four games on their home floor. LaMelo Ball leads the Hornets in scoring with 22.2 points a game, as well as in assists with 8.6 dimes per outing.
Injury report
Giannis (calf) and MarJon Beauchamp (ankle) are both questionable for the Bucks. Jae Crowder (adductor and abdominal tear) and Chris Livingston (ankle) are out for the Bucks.
Charlotte has no players on the injured list, as Miles Bridges is set to make his season debut and return to the NBA.
