Tip-off: Monday, 7:05 p.m. ET
Line: Charlotte -3, Total: 198.5

Both the Bucks and the Hornets will be looking to get back into the win column when the two teams square off in Charlotte on Monday night.

Milwaukee suffered a 90-85 loss as a 5-point home underdog against the Hawks on Saturday. The club had beaten the Hawks 107-77 as a 9.5-point road underdog the night before. This Bucks team has now gone 6-1-1 ATS (4-4 SU) over the past eight contests. The Hornets, meanwhile, failed to cover in a 104-92 home loss against the 6-point favorite Magic on Saturday. They’ve now lost two in a row (SU and ATS) after winning-and-covering in four straight heading into Friday's loss against Oklahoma City. These teams have met twice this season and Charlottes has won both games SU, but the teams have split wins ATS. The Hornets are 9-1 SU against the Bucks in Charlotte over the past 10 meetings. Milwaukee is also 21-9 ATS in all games this season and 14-4 ATS in the past two seasons in road games revenging two straight losses where its opponent scored 100+ points over the past two seasons. The Hornets are, however, 16-5 ATS against Central Division opponents over the past two years. The Bucks will be thin in the frontcourt on Monday, because both PF Ersan Ilyasova (concussion) C Larry Sanders (illness) are expected to sit this game out. SGs Lance Stephenson (groin) and Jannero Pargo (back) are doubtful for the Hornets, but teammate C Al Jefferson (groin) is probable.

Which team will get back on track with a victory? For the answer, connect to The Platinum Sheet for all the Expert picks throughout the entire 2014-15 season. While StatFox Forecaster has a strong 56% ATS record (80-62-1) in featured games this season, the five experts have been profitable recently with a collective 53.3% ATS mark (57-50-2) in NBA Best Bets since Nov. 29. StatFox Gary is 62% ATS (13-8) during this timeframe to give him a 57% ATS (25-19) in NBA Best Bets this season, while StatFox Brian is 61% ATS (14-9) since Nov. 29 to improve to a 53.3% ATS record (24-21) in NBA Best Bets this season.

The Bucks are coming off of a home loss against the Hawks and will need to find a way to put up more points than the 85 they scored in that loss if they’re going to beat the Hornets. PG Brandon Knight (17.7 PPG, 5.2 APG, 4.5 RPG) had just 10 points on Saturday, but he did score 34 points in 34 minutes in the most recent loss to the Hornets. He’ll need to win his matchup against Kemba Walker, or the Bucks will really struggle offensively in this game. C Larry Sanders (7.3 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 1.4 BPG) has missed the past two games for Milwaukee with an illness, and he will likely miss this one too. Sanders is going to play a huge role in this contest if he can go, as he’ll need to be defending the post against Al Jefferson, who is one of the toughest covers in the league. SG Khris Middleton (9.7 PPG, 3.5 RPG) was the Bucks’ leading scorer against the Hawks on Saturday with 21 points and five rebounds in 37 minutes of action and is a player that can really get hot. Milwaukee will do what it can to get him open in this one. The Bucks are going to need better production from PF Giannis Antetokounmpo (11.9 PPG, 5.9 RPG) going forward. He is averaging just 6.0 PPG over the past two contests and will need to get back to double-digit scoring for this team to remain where they are in the Eastern Conference.

The Hornets are coming off two straight losses, and are going to have to continue to string together wins if they are going to crawl back into the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. C Al Jefferson (18.4 PPG, 8.2 RPG) has struggled with his scoring over the past three games, averaging just 10.0 PPG in those contests. He had only 12 points and nine rebounds against the Bucks in their last meeting, and Charlotte will need him to be more efficient with his touches to pick up a home victory in this one. PG Kemba Walker (17.3 PPG, 5.6 APG, 1.4 SPG) was excellent the last time these teams met, scoring 27 points to go along with four assists in 36 minutes of action. Walker and Brandon Knight battled it out in their last meeting and there could be more of the same in this one. SG Gerald Henderson (8.2 PPG, 2.3 RPG) has been starting for the Hornets in place of injured SG Lance Stephenson (10.2 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 4.8 APG). Henderson has just nine points total over the past two contests, but he did have 20 points and four assists in 32 minutes against the Bucks in their last victory over Milwaukee. He should get plenty of open looks with all of the attention being paid to Jefferson and Walker. PF Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (9.0 PPG, 5.6 RPG) will likely need to cover Antetokounmpo in this one. He’ll have to be on his game defensively and continue to hit the glass in order to stay on the court with his offensive deficiencies.