Bobcats vs Bucks Preview

Who: Charlotte Bobcats versus Milwaukee Bucks
What: NBA Basketball – 76ers Home Game
When: 11/20/2009 at 8:30pm EST
Where: Live at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee or on SportsSouth

The Matchup:

Injuries:
Charlotte: Tyson Chandler – Doubtful;
Milwaukee: Andrew Bogut – OUT;


Starting Lineups

A preview of the game from Bucksketball

“Prediction: Bobcats 88 – Bucks 83

Charlotte will play some defense. They won't allow Jennings to run free, especially without his pick and roll partner Bogut.”

I am hesitant to predict a Bobcats win on the road against a team expected to be comparable to the Bobs coming into the season – and even less inclined to do it when they have been exceeding expectations the way they have. With both teams in the top 5 in the league in defensive efficiency, this could be another of those games where the winner scores 80 or less (the Bobcats have already been involved in two of those). Or maybe with the starting centers out, who are both strong defenders (though Tyson in limited minutes), we see a relative offensive explosion from these two offensively challenged groups – though, to be fair, the Bucks are like the Bobcats only in that they are in the bottom ten in offensive efficiency; the Bobcats really only have 2 peers when it comes to offensive impotence so far, the Nets and the Timberwolves – the jump from those 3 to the rest of the league is wide, over 4 points per 100 possessions.

The 3rd game of the Stephen Jackson era is tonight – so far, it has been characterized by close losses and missed opportunities. Like Wednesday night against the 76ers, this is the type of game the Bobcats need to win to be considered a playoff contender – on the road against their primary competition for those last spots. Can they capitalize?

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