Bucks vs. Hornets Preview: The Sting of a SEGABABA

Dec 3, 2022 - 7:00 PM

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The Milwaukee Bucks may rue an early away start on a SEGABABA against the Charlotte Hornets, but this fan and his early bedtime are excited to watch a full Bucks game live for the first time this season.

Where We’re At

The Bucks are coming off a star-studded loss at the Forum to the Los Angeles Lakers. LeBron James, Anthony Davis (!), and Russell Westbrook (!!) tore through one of the top defenses in the league thanks to their impressive shotmaking and the Bucks’ equally impressive lack of interior defense. Coach Bud was understandably livid; it will be interesting to see how the Bucks can respond against another struggling team, albeit one without generational players.

On the Bucks’ side, Khris Middleton made his triumphant return, putting up 17 points in a higher-than-anticipated 27 minutes. However, despite his contributions and Giannis and Jrue pouring it in, defense doomed the Bucks and their three-game winning streak was snapped. Perhaps the presence of MarJon “DJ Wilson” Beauchamp and Serge “Renaissance Man” Ibaka, who did not play and are day-to-day due to illness, would have ameliorated somewhat, but unlikely. Joe “Fun Uncle” Ingles remains on the mend, but otherwise it is nice to see the Bucks injury report slowly whittling down.

The Hornets... uff da. Their recent articles include “Recap: Hornets, despite their best efforts, defeat Wizards, 117-116,” “Early the-season-is-falling-apart mock draft roundup,” and, perhaps my favorite, “ATH Podcast: The season is not going well.” Despite riding a one-game winning streak (last night—they are also on a SEGABABA) and a promising-ish 3-5 start to the season (including a win over the Golden State Warriors that looks less impressive in hindsight), their current campaign has them at a less-than-inspiring 7-15. The absences of LaMelo Ball, Gordon Hayward, and Cody Martin, and potentially Dennis Smith Jr., certainly don’t help.

Player to Watch

I’m curious to see how much mileage we see from our recently healthy players: primarily Pat since Khris was declared out last night, but also pretty much everyone on this freaking roster. Pat still has room for improvement in learning the updated defensive schemes, suggested by the defense taking a considerable nosedive in the last few games.

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