Charlotte vs Milwaukee - 12/23/13 - 7pm ET

mrknowitall215 · Post #1 » by **mrknowitall215** » Mon Dec 23, 2013 3:48 pm

Charlotte Bobcats might have loss their last game at home on 'Buzz Night' because I didn't do the game thread. They are 2-0 with me doing so, and also were on a 2-game winning streak. Here's to a little good luck...

Bobcats vs. Bucks

7 p.m., Time Warner Cable Arena

TV: SportSouth. Radio: WFNZ-AM 610

Matchup to Watch

Kemba Walker vs. Brandon Knight: Walker has been spectacular of late, scoring 20 or more points in each of his past five games. Knight is getting a fresh start with the Bucks after playing for the Pistons.

Observations

The Bobcats have had an easy time against the Bucks this season, winning by 24 in Milwaukee and 16 in Charlotte.

Ex-Tar Heel John Henson had three straight double-doubles before sitting out Saturday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers with a sore knee.

Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton had a big game in Charlotte last time with 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting.

Who gets the start at small forward – Anthony Tolliver or Chris Douglas-Roberts – for the Bobcats will likely change game-to-game based on the match-up.

Tap-ins

The Bucks have lost three in a row at Time Warner Cable Arena.

Henson is the latest of a very long list of injuries that are wrecking the Bucks’ season.

After tonight, the Bobcats get a three-day break from games for Christmas.

Did you know?

The Bucks are the team that originally drafted Bobcats backup point guard Ramon Sessions.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/1 ... rhakdJDuSo

HornetJail · Post #2 » by **HornetJail** » Mon Dec 23, 2013 4:17 pm

I swear we've played Milwaukee like six times this season already.

Hugo The Hornet · Post #3 » by **Hugo The Hornet** » Mon Dec 23, 2013 4:31 pm

The Bucks season is lost, they try to get good draft pick and we need to win them. Hope for good game by Walker & Jefferson, and to keep our good start. Home win tonight will be good gift for the Christmas.

Merry Christmas friends! :wink:

Post #4 » by **JDR720** » Mon Dec 23, 2013 4:43 pm

Biz Gilwalker wrote:I swear we've played Milwaukee like six times this season already.

thats what it feels like for sure

mrknowitall215 · Post #5 » by **mrknowitall215** » Mon Dec 23, 2013 4:47 pm

A loss tonight would be unfathomable, and would likely force Cho's hand to make a trade sooner than later heading towards the February trade deadline. I seriously doubt that they'd let up tonight. This should be a easy win, and ultimately I hope nobody get injured

Kemba Walker & Gerald Henderson need to stay attached defensively to Brandon Knight & O.J. Mayo as perimeter shooters that could make this a game if they get going

Caron Butler is still a quality NBA player with range, but Khris Middleton is the sleeper that Charlotte need to pay special attention to, coming off a 27-point shooting performance in a win against the Sixers. Middleton usually roam the court as a undersized stretch-4

Charlotte's weakness at defending the 3-point line will be put to the test tonight, but they should be up for the task

Offensively, the Bobcats should feed Al Jefferson early & often. The Bucks started a frontcourt consisting of nobody above 6'9" (Giannis Antetokounmpo at C) in their last contest

Post #6 » by **JDR720** » Mon Dec 23, 2013 5:08 pm

If Giannis Antetokounmpo starts at Center Al should get 50 and 20

HornetJail · Post #7 » by **HornetJail** » Mon Dec 23, 2013 5:12 pm

mrknowitall215 wrote:Offensively, the Bobcats should feed Al Jefferson early & often. The Bucks started a frontcourt consisting of nobody above 6'9" (Giannis Antetokounmpo at C) in their last contest

Giannis at center??? He's a 3/2. An extremely long one, but still he's far too skinny to be able to handle Al. Why didn't they start Henson?

Post #8 » by **JDR720** » Mon Dec 23, 2013 5:24 pm

Biz Gilwalker wrote:
mrknowitall215 wrote:Offensively, the Bobcats should feed Al Jefferson early & often. The Bucks started a frontcourt consisting of nobody above 6'9" (Giannis Antetokounmpo at C) in their last contest

Giannis at center??? He's a 3/2. An extremely long one, but still he's far too skinny to be able to handle Al. Why didn't they start Henson?

he is hurt

mrknowitall215 · Post #9 » by **mrknowitall215** » Mon Dec 23, 2013 5:25 pm

Biz Gilwalker wrote:
mrknowitall215 wrote:Offensively, the Bobcats should feed Al Jefferson early & often. The Bucks started a frontcourt consisting of nobody above 6'9" (Giannis Antetokounmpo at C) in their last contest

Giannis at center??? He's a 3/2. An extremely long one, but still he's far too skinny to be able to handle Al. Why didn't they start Henson?

John Henson twisted his knee on Friday in-game & was a late scratch. Henson will be a game-time decision tonight. I think they plan to start rookie center Miroslav Raduljica tonight though

Raduljica was effective against Cleveland's Andrew Bynum on Friday in the Serbian player's initial NBA start. And he came off the bench to score 14 points against the 76ers on Saturday.

"He does big man things," Drew said of the 25-year-old native of Belgrade. "He's a big body (7-foot-1 and 280 pounds). He really works around the paint area. He runs the floor.

Hugo The Hornet · Post #10 » by **Hugo The Hornet** » Mon Dec 23, 2013 5:26 pm

Biz Gilwalker wrote:
mrknowitall215 wrote:Offensively, the Bobcats should feed Al Jefferson early & often. The Bucks started a frontcourt consisting of nobody above 6'9" (Giannis Antetokounmpo at C) in their last contest

Giannis at center??? He's a 3/2. An extremely long one, but still he's far too skinny to be able to handle Al. Why didn't they start Henson?

He questionable for tonight. I don't think he'll healthy for starting lineup. Sanders is also injured.

HornetJail · Post #11 » by **HornetJail** » Mon Dec 23, 2013 5:29 pm

Hugo The Horent wrote:
Biz Gilwalker wrote:
mrknowitall215 wrote:Offensively, the Bobcats should feed Al Jefferson early & often. The Bucks started a frontcourt consisting of nobody above 6'9" (Giannis Antetokounmpo at C) in their last contest

Giannis at center??? He's a 3/2. An extremely long one, but still he's far too skinny to be able to handle Al. Why didn't they start Henson?

He questionable for tonight. I don't think he'll healthy for starting lineup. Sanders is also injured.

Ah, must've missed that one.

Either way, if Giannis or Raduilijca is starting at center, Al needs to come out with the same kind of fire he closed out Detroit with. This night should be all about him.

mrknowitall215 · Post #12 » by **mrknowitall215** » Mon Dec 23, 2013 5:45 pm

These guys again? Bucks — Bobcats Preview

What to Watch For: Bucks

For the third time in exactly 30 days, the Milwaukee Bucks (6-21) will face the Charlotte Bobcats (13-15).

But let’s talk about what’s really important: Miroslav Raduljica.

Raduljica has scored in double digits in three of the last six games, including a career-high 14 points in Saturday night’s win over the Philadelphia 76ers. Per 36 minutes, Raduljica is averaging 16.0 points and 8.1 rebounds. He leads the team in true shooting percentage (61.3 percent), thanks in large part to competent free throw shooting (78.9 percent), and ranks second in PER (18.5) behind John Henson.

Of course, a small sample size largely inflates those numbers. His conditioning is certainly still a concern. Despite his size, he’s not a great defensive rebounder — he actually has a higher offensive rebounding percentage (14.1 percent) than defensive (11.3 percent). His slow foot speed and reaction time impede team defense. When Raduljica is on the court, the Bucks are giving up 107.6 points per 100 possessions, which is three points more than Milwaukee’s season average (104.2). However, the Bucks are scoring 100.4 points per 100 possessions with Raduljica on the court, compared to their 95.4 average.

Raduljica definitely has some offensive talent. While he tends to rush things when he gets the ball in the post, he possesses great hands near the basket and can finish with decent touch. He sets solid picks. His large mass allows him to corral offensive rebounds and execute putbacks with ease. It’s never pretty, but it’s effective.

While Raduljica’s ultimate ceiling seems fairly low, it’s been enjoyable to watch the 25-year-old rookie have a “breakout” of sorts — especially when one considers that he probably wouldn’t have seen the court much, if ever, had Larry Sanders and Zaza Pachulia remained healthy.

What to Watch For: Bobcats

There isn’t much more to say about the Bobcats. (Here are the previews from game one and two.) Charlotte, which has a defensive rating of 98.0, is a top-five defensive team under rookie head coach Steve Clifford. Only the Indiana Pacers, San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder boast a more stringent defense. More impressively, the Bobcats sit among that company with Al Jefferson as their defensive “anchor.”

On the other side of the ball, Charlotte struggles immensely — its 96.1 offensive rating ranks 29th in the league. The only team with a worse offense? Your Milwaukee Bucks.

In short, the Bobcats are similar to those traditional Scott Skiles teams with which Bucks fans are very familiar. They are scrappy, play great team defense and run some ugly offensive sets.

Injury Report

Bucks: John Henson (knee; questionable), Gary Neal (plantar fasciitis; questionable), Ersan Ilyasova (ankle; out), Zaza Pachulia (foot; out), Larry Sanders (thumb; out), Carlos Delfino (foot surgery; out)

Bobcats: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (hand; out), Brendan Haywood (foot; out), Jeff Taylor (Achilles’ tendon; out)

Projected Lineups

Bucks:

PG Brandon Knight

SG Giannis Antetokounmpo

SF Caron Butler

PF Khris Middleton

C Ekpe Udoh*

*John Henson is questionable with a sore left knee.

Bobcats:

PG Kemba Walker

SG Gerald Henderson

SF Anthony Tolliver

PF Josh McRoberts

C Al Jefferson

Jeremy’s For Recreational Purposes Only Prediction (aka Betsketball)

Line: Bobcats +7

Over/Under: 186

The Bucks have been finding a way to score some points lately, though I’m not sure how reliable the “get to overtime to make sure we break 100 points” strategy is over the long term. Charlotte’s defense has been far too much for the Bucks to handle this season and I’m not sure this recent offensive uptick is going to last without another overtime or the Philadelphia 76ers underwhelming roster in play.

Bobcats +7, under 186.

Record: 17-15 (7-9 ATS and 10-6 over/under)

Choose the Form of the Destructor: Kemba Walker

These are the last four starting points guards to face the Bucks:

* Michael Carter-Williams — 19 points, 12 assists
* Kyrie Irving — 39 points, six assists
* Beno Udrih (!) — 21 points, five assists
* Jose Calderon — 18 points, one assist

So, it hasn’t been a great defensive showing of late for Brandon Knight. That’s a little disconcerting, given that Knight’s defensive physicality was supposed to compensate for his lack of offensive polish. Aside from individual scoring, Knight’s limitations on the offensive end are pretty apparent — his passes aren’t very crisp, he still lacks pick-and-roll awareness, and he doesn’t create many easy opportunities for his teammates. However, his defensive shortcomings are a bit less discernible. (Although it can be misleading, his defensive rating of 106.9 is fourth-worst on the Bucks.) Lately, it seems like he isn’t getting through screens quickly enough, but that may be a product of heavy minutes and tight scheduling.

Also, Kemba Walker is on a scoring tear. In his last five games, Walker is averaging 26.2 points per game on 62.3 percent shooting from the field. Keep an eye on this matchup.

Chris Douglas-Roberts Update:

The Bobcats apparently signed Chris Douglas-Roberts, who played one inauspicious season with the Bucks, on Dec. 11. He has scored one basket in 34 minutes.

Buzz City (?):

The Charlotte Bobcats Hornets basketball team unveiled its new “identity” Saturday.

Prediction:

My heart tells me the Bucks will win — can they really lose to the Bobcats three times in 30 days?

My head tells me the Bucks will lose — can they really win back-to-back games? (It hasn’t happened this season.)

Also, the tank.

Bucks lose.

http://www.bucksketball.com/2013/12/the ... s-preview/

Post #13 » by **fatlever** » Mon Dec 23, 2013 8:33 pm

Hugo The Horent wrote:The Bucks season is lost, they try to get good draft pick and we need to win them. Hope for good game by Walker & Jefferson, and to keep our good start. Home win tonight will be good gift for the Christmas.

Merry Christmas friends!

hey,

welcome to the board.

did you mean to spell hornet as horent? if not, you can request a name change and just let them know you made a typo.

viewtopic.php?f=40&t=1250573

rules state you cant request a name change until you have been active for one year, but they might make an exception for a typo.

if not, its a pretty funny name.

Hugo The Hornet · Post #14 » by **Hugo The Hornet** » Mon Dec 23, 2013 8:45 pm

fatlever wrote:
Hugo The Horent wrote:The Bucks season is lost, they try to get good draft pick and we need to win them. Hope for good game by Walker & Jefferson, and to keep our good start. Home win tonight will be good gift for the Christmas.

Merry Christmas friends!

hey,

welcome to the board.

did you mean to spell hornet as horent? if not, you can request a name change and just let them know you made a typo.

viewtopic.php?f=40&t=1250573

rules state you cant request a name change until you have been active for one year, but they might make an exception for a typo.

if not, its a pretty funny name.

Yes, my mistake. Thanks for pay attention. :grin:

HornetJail · Post #15 » by **HornetJail** » Mon Dec 23, 2013 10:26 pm

Yeah they change in case of typos.

Snidely FC · Post #16 » by **Snidely FC** » Mon Dec 23, 2013 10:34 pm

Hugo The Horent wrote:The Bucks season is lost, they try to get good draft pick and we need to win them. Hope for good game by Walker & Jefferson, and to keep our good start. Home win tonight will be good gift for the Christmas.

Merry Christmas friends!

Welcome to the board. Merry Christmas to you too, Hugo the Hornet!

Post #17 » by **JDR720** » Mon Dec 23, 2013 10:35 pm

Hugo The Horent wrote:The Bucks season is lost, they try to get good draft pick and we need to win them. Hope for good game by Walker & Jefferson, and to keep our good start. Home win tonight will be good gift for the Christmas.

Merry Christmas friends!

Hello!!!!

Seven11 · Post #18 » by **Seven11** » Mon Dec 23, 2013 10:39 pm

New here but not new to RealGM. I usually post in the general board and lurk here but I'm excited about the new Hornets rebrand and this little playoff run that they are putting together. I hope to be a lot more active here from here on out. Now that's out the way. We should win this easily tonight.

Snidely FC · Post #19 » by **Snidely FC** » Mon Dec 23, 2013 10:45 pm

Seven11 wrote:New here but not new to RealGM. I usually post in the general board and lurk here but I'm excited about the new Hornets rebrand and this little playoff run that they are putting together. I hope to be a lot more active here from here on out. Now that's out the way. We should win this easily tonight.

Great that people are jumping behind the Hornets. The more the merrier. Welcome, Slurpee.

Seven11 · Post #20 » by **Seven11** » Mon Dec 23, 2013 10:50 pm

Snidely FC wrote:
Seven11 wrote:New here but not new to RealGM. I usually post in the general board and lurk here but I'm excited about the new Hornets rebrand and this little playoff run that they are putting together. I hope to be a lot more active here from here on out. Now that's out the way. We should win this easily tonight.

Great that people are jumping behind the Hornets. The more the merrier. Welcome, Slurpee.

Thanks. I'm from Columbia, SC and I never really accepted the Bobcats as a home team but I always rooted for them on the low. I kind of roamed team to team but this rebranded Hornets identity is something I can get behind. Plus the team has been exciting to watch this year.