The Milwaukee Bucks won their past two games against the Toronto Raptors 99-85 and the Detroit Pistons 127-120. On Saturday, they faced the 5-7 Charlotte Hornets at home at the Spectrum Center. After losing to the Orlando Magic on Tuesday for the NBA’s Emirates Tournament, the Hornets were on a two-game losing streak and looked to spark the team with a win. With the return of Forward Miles Bridges to the lineup, could the Hornets manage a win over the recently winning Bucks?
The Milwaukee Bucks would lean on their star player, Giannis Antetokounmpo, to push the team to victory, with starting Point Guard Damian Lillard and starting Forward Khris Middleton not available. Lillard is out with a concussion he suffered during the Raptors game on Tuesday, and Middleton is out because of an ankle injury. In the game against the Pistons, Giannis dropped 59 points in their overtime win. Could the “Greek Freak” and the rest of the team scramble to another win?
Bucks Bench Provides
Milwaukee Bucks star Forward Giannis Antetokounmpo had help from the bench regarding scoring during the game against the Charlotte Hornets. Bobby Portis would provide 21 coming off the bench going 9-of-15. Bucks Shooting Guards Pat Connaughton and Gary Trent Jr. would finish with 10 points. The Milwaukee Bucks bench would chip in 43 points during the game. Bucks Power Forward Taurean Prince finished the game with 23 points, going 9-of-14 from the field. Prince would cash in four three-pointers during the game. Six Bucks players would score in double digits by the end of this game.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, after a spectacular 59-point game, would follow that performance with a triple-double against the Hornets. Antetokounmpo would score 22 points, drop off 12 dimes, and snatch down 15 rebounds. Giannis didn’t make any three-pointers during the game and only made it to the free throw line once, which he missed. The Milwaukee Bucks star would finish the first half going 6-of-12 from the field, and the Bucks would only lead by four at the end. How could the Bucks not put away the struggling Hornets with Antetokounmpo playing so well?
Questionable Ending
During Saturday’s game at Spectrum Center with the visiting Bucks against the Hornets, the lead would change hands eight times during the second half. Hornets Point Guard LaMelo Ball would drop 19 points in the second half, finishing with 26, leading the Hornets in scoring. Ball would have nine rebounds with six assists and would be perfect from the free throw line with 11 attempts. The Hornets would also have six of their players score in double digits. Miles Bridges would score 19 points going 7-of-15 from the field in his return. The Hornets would out-rebound the Bucks 53-40 and score 15 points off Bucks turnovers.
The Hornets took advantage of the fastbreak, scoring 22 points, while the Bucks only scored nine. The Hornets would only shoot 44% from the field, while the Bucks would finish with 51%. The Bucks and Hornets would be about even when it came to points in the paint, with the Bucks leading by 50-48. With eight lead changes and the Hornets never quit attitude, the game would be decided on a last-second shot from Antetokounmpo at the top of the key, ending in a miss.
Bucks Head Coach Doc Rivers was upset over the closing minutes of the game with a questionable call with Hornets guard LaMello Ball; Coach Rivers would have this to say according to CBS Sports: “I thought the final play was the ref blowing the call. This is back-to-back games now where on the final play there’s been an incorrect call made. LaMelo Ball fell. He just fell down. Nobody was near him, slipped on his own, we come up with the ball and the game’s over.”
Final Thoughts
The Milwaukee Bucks have been making moves for the past couple of seasons to supply Giannis Antetokounmpo with weapons to further their advances into the NBA Playoffs with hopes of another NBA Title. The Bucks brought Lillard to the team last season, but the team fell short in the playoffs. The Bucks currently are ranked 12th in the Eastern Conference. The Bucks will play the Houston Rockets at home on Monday. The Rockets are ranked third in the Western Conference. Will Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton make it to the floor to give the Bucks a lift? They must stack up some wins and become contenders for the NBA title.
