Hornets at Bucks
The Charlotte Hornets look to make a quick recovery when they continue a four-game trek at the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday. Friday's 112-105 setback in Detroit dropped Charlotte into sixth place in the Eastern Conference, a game behind Miami and Boston, and left it 14-20 away from home.
The Hornets' disparity of 13 wins between home and away was the largest in the NBA entering Friday, which doesn't bode well for a team that plays seven of its final 10 games on the road. Kemba Walker did his part with 29 points against Detroit but his teammates combined to shoot 37.3 percent as Charlotte fell to 1-1 on the trip. A four-game losing streak has pushed the Bucks to the brink of playoff elimination, as a 101-90 setback at Atlanta on Friday dropped them nine games behind the eighth spot. The Hornets have won four in a row in Milwaukee, including a 98-95 triumph in the previous meeting a little over a month ago.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, FSN Southeast (Charlotte), FSN Wisconsin (Milwaukee)
ABOUT THE HORNETS (41-31): Marvin Williams was a catalyst during Charlotte's recent 9-1 surge, but he has fallen on hard times in the past week. After missing Tuesday's win in Brooklyn with a sprained ankle, Williams returned to Friday to produce just seven points in 22 minutes and he is averaging six points on 6-of-22 shooting over his last three contests. Walker had been slumping, too, with a 2-of-18 effort from 3-point distance over a three-game stretch, but he went 6-of-9 in the loss to the Pistons.
ABOUT THE BUCKS (30-43): Milwaukee's four-game slide is one shy of matching the team's season high, a five-gamer that began near the end of January and began the squad's descent out of the playoff picture. Giannis Antetokounmpo has been the bright spot of late but he was held to 5-of-14 from the floor against the Hawks, his first game shooting under 50 percent since March 12. Reserve big man John Henson has come alive in the last two games with an average of 14.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and two blocks in 23 minutes.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Charlotte C Cody Zeller scored a career-high 23 points in the previous matchup.
2. Bucks PG Jerryd Bayless is 6-of-9 from 3-point range and has two turnovers in 101 minutes over a three-game stretch.
3. Hornets SG Nicolas Batum is 9-of-34 from the field in three games versus the Bucks this season.