By Sam Perley, hornets.com
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Result
Despite trailing by 13 points in the third quarter, the Hornets pieced together yet another comeback and held on in the final seconds to knock off the Bucks, 98-95, on Friday, Feb. 19 in Milwaukee. Charlotte’s ninth win of the season when trailing by double digits was also its season-high-tying, fourth-straight victory overall and fourth consecutive at the Bradley Center. Kemba Walker and Cody Zeller led the Hornets with a combined 48 points while Jabari Parker tied a career high with 23 points in the loss.
Turning Points
Trailing the Bucks, 86-84, with 3:34 remaining in the game, an old-fashioned three-point play by Cody Zeller followed by a jumper by Marvin Williams from behind the arc gave the Hornets a quick four-point lead with just over three minutes to go. Milwaukee would eventually trim Charlotte’s lead down to one after a Giannis Antetokounmpo dunk with 18 seconds left made the score, 96-95. Following a Charlotte turnover, Khris Middleton’s potential go-ahead jumper would go off the rim and into the hands of Kemba Walker with five seconds left. After Walker hit both free throws at the other end, Middleton missed a game-tying three-point attempt at the buzzer as the Hornets escaped Milwaukee with a win.
Inside the Box Score
Kemba Walker tallied a game-high 25 points on 8-of-16 shooting to go along with six rebounds, a team-high four assists and two steals… Cody Zeller finished with a career-high 23 points and a team-high nine rebounds… Marvin Williams tacked on 15 points, four rebounds and two blocks… Jeremy Lamb chipped in 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting, two rebounds, two assists and three steals off the bench… Al Jefferson returned from a 22-game absence following knee surgery to post six points and five rebounds in 23 minutes… Jabari Parker led the Bucks in both scoring (23 points) and rebounding (11)… Khris Middleton tallied 20 points on 6-of-17 shooting, four rebounds, a game-high seven assists and a team-high two steals… Giannis Antetokounmpo notched his ninth double-double of the season as he finished with 18 points and game-high-tying 11 rebounds… Michael Carter-Williams tacked on 14 points, six rebounds, three assists and two blocks off the bench… Milwaukee outrebounded Charlotte, 47-37… The Bucks turned the ball over 22 total times leading to 28 points for the Hornets. Charlotte had 18 total giveaways which turned into 14 points for the Bucks.
Hornets Player of the Game
Cody Zeller put together one of his finest outings as a NBA player, notching a career-high 23 points on 9-of-12 shooting, a team-high nine rebounds (season-high five offensive boards) and two assists in the Charlotte win. Zeller’s previous highest-scoring game was a 21-point performance on the road against the Denver Nuggets on Jan. 31, 2015.
Bucks Player of the Game
Jabari Parker had a stellar night for the hometown Bucks as he tied career highs in both scoring (23 points) and rebounding (11) to go along with two assists in the Milwaukee loss. This is also Parker’s third double-double of the season, which is one more than he had during his rookie season in 2014-15.
Game Notes
Spencer Hawes was sidelined for the Hornets (back)… Jerryd Bayless (knee) and John Henson (back) did not play for Milwaukee… Frank Kaminsky made his first career NBA start for the Hornets. Kaminsky played collegiately at the University of Wisconsin from 2011-15, helping lead the Badgers to two Final Four appearances… These teams will meet for the final time this season on March 26 in Milwaukee.
Next Up
The Hornets take on the Nets at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 21 in Brooklyn. This game can be seen on FOX Sports Southeast or heard on WFNZ or on the official Charlotte Hornets mobile app.