Hornets Hold Off Bucks, 114-106
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - It was an electric atmosphere Saturday night in Uptown as the Charlotte Hornets put on a show en route to a 114-106 win over the NBA defending champion, Milwaukee Bucks.
Points were tough to come by in the first half of play for both teams. The defense was solid on both ends but there were a number of rushed shots, bad misses on open looks, and a combined 13 turnovers.
Miles Bridges got the fans to their feet early with an alley-oop from Terry Rozier to get the scoring underway. Then LaMelo Ball snatched a defensive rebound that bounced clear out to mid-court and Ball wisely made sure he timed it perfectly so that he wouldn't be called for a backcourt violation. As soon as he got to the ball, he threw a long pass behind his back to a wide-open Mason Plumlee for the dunk.
With all attention on Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton started to heat up, giving the Bucks a 29-19 lead with a little over two minutes to play in the opening quarter. The Hornets ended the quarter on an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to just two, 29-27.
Milwaukee's offensive struggles carried over into the second quarter, scoring a total of just 12 points - the lowest point total a team has scored in a single quarter against the Hornets this season. There was a stretch where the Bucks missed 14 of 15 shots which allowed Charlotte to jump out in front 47-41 at the half.
Both teams figured out some things offensively, combining for 76 points in the third quarter - certainly more efficient than the combined 32-point second quarter. Although the Bucks kept pace, they just could not string together defensive stops. Terry Rozier hit tough shot after tough shot and Kelly Oubre Jr. found his stroke after a sluggish start to the night. Not only did he find his shooting stroke but he also brought the fans to their feet with a powerful dunk that was all started on the defensive end on a blocked shot by Gordon Hayward.
Charlotte's lead ballooned to 89-75 heading into the final quarter of the night and they were able to keep that distance from Milwaukee throughout much of the quarter until about the four-minute mark. Antetokounmpo willed the Bucks backed into the game with 21 points in the fourth and led the charge on an 11-2 run to close the gap to just 108-104 with under a minute to go. Terry Rozier drained a wide-open three with about 30 seconds left to make it a three possession game.
The Hornets and Bucks will be back it on Monday night inside Spectrum Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST.
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