There was a moment late in the third quarter of Friday?s 105-89 Milwaukee victory over Charlotte where the Hornets? two top players, Jamal Mashburn and Baron Davis, consoled each other on the bench.
Charlotte coach Paul Silas only hopes that situation doesn?t continue.
While Mashburn remains in street clothes and is out indefinitely with a strained abdominal muscle, Davis injured his right knee for the second straight game and is listed as doubtful for tonight?s game at Washington.
"It?s just real sore," Davis said. "I want to play. The last thing I want to do is not play. But it?ll be a game-time decision again."
Percentages may dictate that the Hornets sit Davis out of a game for the first time of his professional career; Davis has played in 193 straight games.
It?s because Charlotte doesn?t play again until next Thursday.
And the usually positive Silas offered the painfully obvious Hornets? prospects should Davis join Mashburn on the sidelines.
"Well, if Baron is hurt and can?t play up to his capabilities, we?re going to have trouble winning games," Silas said. "There is no plan B. We just do the best we can (without him). We lose Mash ? and if we lose (Davis) and we?re just not a very good team.
"I don?t have a magic wand that can make that go away. Let?s face it. Without my players, we?re not a very good team."
Without Davis for much of Friday night?s loss, Charlotte proved Silas correct.
The Hornets were easy targets for the Bucks, who also were short-handed.
Yet, even with Ray Allen out with knee tendinitis, Sam Cassell, Glenn Robinson and Tim Thomas sliced up whatever defense was thrown at them, even a zone defense that helped Charlotte closed within 10 late in the game.
"We used the zone to get back in the game," Silas said. "But then they started raining 3?s."
Milwaukee was 11-of-26 overall on 3-pointers, with Cassell and Thomas hitting three apiece.
The only real positives for Charlotte were in Lee Nailon?s 24-point performance and in David Wesley moving back over to the point guard position (along with reserve Bryce Drew) after Davis left the game early in the second half.
"We?ll go with what we?ve got," Silas said of the Hornets? future playing rotation. "That?s really all we can do."
Following the first sellout of the season for Wednesday night?s game against Michael Jordan?s Washington Wizards, the attendance Friday night dropped dramatically. It was listed officially as 10,888, but courtside observers calculated the actual number of fans at significantly less than that.