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GAME DAY PREVIEW AND INJURY REPORT: The Milwaukee Bucks face Charlotte Hornets in an In-Season Tournament duel

The Bucks will try to keep their mini-winning streak going against the struggling Charlotte Hornets.

Matthew Dugandzic

© Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
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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.

MarJon Beauchamp leaves early vs. Raptors with sprained ankle; evaluation of injury set to be conducted

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.