Postgame Coverage: Game Gallery | Monk Highlights | Coach Borrego | Devonte' Graham | Malik Monk | Nic Batum
The Charlotte Hornets pieced together a relatively strong performance against the NBA’s best team, but a Milwaukee Bucks run to open the fourth quarter was ultimately the difference-maker in a 116-103 loss on Friday, Jan. 24 at the NBA Global Games in Paris, France.
Malik Monk led the way for the Hornets with a new career-high 31 points on 10-of-17 shooting, five rebounds, five assists, a steal and a block in 34 minutes off the bench. This marks the first time a Charlotte reserve has ever notched a 30/5/5 game and also makes Monk the only NBA player to accomplish this particular feat overall so far this season.
Charlotte led for almost the entire opening three quarters before a Donte DiVincenzo tip-in layup late in the third knotted the score at 78-78 heading into the fourth. The Bucks then opened the final frame on a quick 11-2 run over the opening three minutes of play, giving themselves a cushy nine-point advantage. The Hornets stuck with it, although were outscored 38-25 across the final 12 minutes, sealing their eighth consecutive defeat.
“We were thrilled to be here. It was a memorable experience for all of us and it means a ton not only to the NBA, but the Charlotte Hornets, our owner and our entire organization,” said Coach Borrego after the game. “It was a great game. Our guys competed and put ourselves in position to win a game against the best team in the NBA. We came up a little short, but I was proud of our effort tonight.”
He added, “I thought Malik was fantastic tonight. Very dynamic, got downhill, got to the rim, made plays for us. He’s an incredible athlete. I thought he played great tonight. He made good decisions, but the pace he played with was what was special. He has the ability. His challenge now is to do it more consistently on a night-to-night basis. That’s what we’re looking for.”
Devonte’ Graham had 19 points on 6-of-13 shooting, a team-high seven rebounds and four assists for Charlotte, while Marvin Williams put up 18 points (4-of-7 from three) and six rebounds off the bench. Terry Rozier added 13 points, six rebounds and five assists and Nic Batum, who got the start in front of the hometown French crowd, chipped in five points, six rebounds and five assists.
Reigning NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo amassed a team-high 30 points on 13-of-19 shooting, a game-high 16 rebounds and six assists in the win. Eric Bledsoe (20 points), George Hill (16), Khris Middleton (14) and Brook Lopez (12) also scored in double digits for the Bucks, who notched their eighth straight win (longest active streak in the NBA).
Charlotte shot 37.2% from the field against the league’s top-ranked defensive unit, which included a clip of 14-of-39 from distance (35.9%). Milwaukee won the rebounding battle, 53-39, and outscored the Hornets by a whopping 30 points in the paint (62-32).
The Hornets will head back home on Saturday and have three full days off before taking on the New York Knicks on Tuesday, Jan. 28 at Spectrum Center. Catch the game on Fox Sports Southeast or listen in on WFNZ 610 AM/102.5 FM or the Hornets app.