More Coverage: Game Action Gallery | Cody Zeller rises up and throws it down | Game Highlights | Head Coach James Borrego Postgame | LaMelo Ball Postgame | Miles Bridges Postgame
By Sam Perley
The Charlotte Hornets closed out their three-game homestand and back-to-back in winning fashion, knocking off the Milwaukee Bucks for a 126-114 victory on Saturday, Jan. 30 at Spectrum Center.
Rookie LaMelo Ball had undoubtedly the best performance of his NBA career so far, finishing with 27 points on 8-of-10 shooting (9-of-9 from the free-throw line), five rebounds, nine assists and four steals in the victory. Ball is now just the third rookie in league history to record 25 points on at least 80% shooting, five rebounds, five assists and multiple steals in a single game, joining John Drew and Steve Francis.
Trailing 20-10 midway through the first quarter, Charlotte ripped off a stunning 41-11 run to take a 20-point lead in just over eight minutes of game action. The NBA’s top-ranked offense inevitably responded though and trimmed the deficit down to just four by halftime. From that point, both sides went blow-for-blow the rest of the way until the last little bit of the fourth.
With Charlotte holding a two-point lead and 2:46 to go, Ball converted an old-fashioned three-point play on a driving layup to kick off a 10-0 run, a stretch that included a pair of Devonte’ Graham three-pointers. The Bucks never scored again and saw their five-game winning streak over the Hornets come to a halt.
“Heading into the fourth, I challenged our guys to have their best defensive quarter of the game,” said Head Coach James Borrego afterwards. “Our guys committed to the defensive end. They were fully connected tonight from start to finish. Tremendously proud of our guys and how they hung in there. The bench was fantastic and gave us great minutes.”
He added, “I thought [LaMelo] was very aggressive tonight. He’s fearless, he’s attacking the paint, he’s getting to the free-throw line, he’s making plays for others. He kept the pressure on Milwaukee all night and he did it with a poise without giving up [turnovers]. I love his fearlessness and his ability to bounce back. He’s a special kid and he’s only getting better.”
Gordon Hayward also scored 27 points, while Malik Monk (season-high 18 points) and Miles Bridges (11) were both in double figures off the bench. Graham (12) and Terry Rozier (12) also had 10-plus-point performances, with the latter exiting the game for good at halftime (right ankle sprain). Cody Zeller also chipped in seven points, a career-high-tying 15 rebounds and seven assists.
Giannis Antetokounmpo racked up game highs in scoring (34 points on 12-of-19 shooting) and rebounding (18) to go along with nine assists for his 12th double-double of the campaign. Jrue Holiday (21 points), Khris Middleton (18), Pat Connaughton (15) and Bobby Portis (11) also scored at least 10 points for a Bucks squad that dropped both outings in its back-to-back.
Charlotte scored 39 points in the opening quarter, its most in any frame so far this year. The team also committed just nine turnovers, held the Bucks to 44 paint points on 22-of-35 shooting and connected on a season-high 21-of-44 three-point attempts (47.7%), which was just two makes short of matching the franchise record.
The Hornets will now make a short one-game road trip to face the Miami Heat on Monday, Feb. 1 starting at 7:30 PM EST at AmericanAirlines Arena. Catch the action on Fox Sports Southeast, the Fox Sports GO app and WFNZ 610 AM or 102.5 FM.