Charlotte Hornets vs. Milwaukee Bucks: Prediction and Betting Tips for 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament | Nov. 17, 2023

The Charlotte Hornets (3-7) will face the Milwaukee Bucks (7-4) in an East Group B In-Season Tournament game on Friday, Nov. 17.

The Miami Heat currently top the group with two straight wins. Milwaukee and the Hornets will be playing their second tournament game, having both won their opening contest.

At the time of writing, Giannis Antetokounmpo and MarJon Beauchamp are listed as questionable for Milwaukee. The Bucks will be without Jae Crowder and Chris Livingston.

Meanwhile, the Hornets have Gordon Hayward and Brandon Miller listed as questionable, while Cody Martin, Terry Rozier and Frank Ntilikina are all out.

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Charlotte Hornets vs. Milwaukee Bucks: Game Details, prediction and betting

Teams: Charlotte Hornets (3-7) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (7-4)

Date and Time: November 17, 2023 | 7:00 p.m. ET

Venue: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina

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Charlotte Hornets vs. Milwaukee Bucks: Preview

The Charlotte Hornets will be sweating on the availability of Gordon Hayward, who is one of their best point-of-attack defenders and playmakers.

Without Terry Rozier, Hayward's ball-handling will be needed to help ease the burden on LaMelo Ball. Having a high-level defender on the wing is essential when trying to slow down the Milwaukee Bucks.

Meanwhile, Milwaukee may or may not have Giannis Antetokounmpo in its rotation. However, Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton will both be on the court, and that should be enough to earn them a win over the Hornets.

Lillard's ability to take over games and dominate as a scorer means the Bucks are favored to secure a win.

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Charlotte Hornets vs. Milwaukee Bucks: Projected starting lineups

The Charlotte Hornets' starting lineup could look like this:

LaMelo Ball, Theo Maledon, JT Thor, P.J. Washington, Mark Williams.

Mark Williams is quickly developing into one of the Hornets' best players and LaMelo Ball is among the most talented young guards in the NBA. However, a lack of bench depth and injuries to key rotation players means Charlotte is at a disadvantage when facing the Milwaukee Bucks.

Milwaukee's starting five could look like this:

Damian Lillard, Malik Beasley, Andre Jackson Jr., Khris Middleton, and Brook Lopez.

The Bucks' starting group has floor spacing, playmaking, and high-level defense. It's hard to envision a depleted Hornets team causing them many problems.

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Charlotte Hornets vs. Milwaukee Bucks: Betting Tips

Damian Lillard is listed as -115 to score over 25.5 points. Given the Hornets' defensive struggles this season, this could be smart money. However, if you prefer the under, you can get -110.

LaMelo Ball is listed at -120 to score over 3.5 threes against the Bucks. He's averaging three made shots from deep this season. You can get the under at -110.

Mark Williams has been impressive over the past 12 months. He enters the Hornets game against Milwaukee with -140 odds to secure more than 7.5 rebounds and +110 on the under.

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Charlotte Hornets vs. Milwaukee Bucks: Prediction

The Bucks will enter their game against the Hornets as favorites to secure a win. They're -7.5 on the spread (-110) and have a money line of -340. Milwaukee has had a better start to the season than its in-season tournament opponent and has aspirations of competing for a championship.

The Hornets are still navigating a slow roster reset, and are currently straddling two timelines. This is why they enter the contest against Milwaukee with a +7.5 spread (-110) and a money line of +275.

Until the front office commits to the younger talent on the roster, Charlotte will be stuck in NBA purgatory, as it has been for the last decade.