Charlotte Hornets

2023-11-17

Bucks Break Away After 2nd Quarter To Beat Hornets

Sam Perley, NBA.com/Hornets

Ball Notches Season-High 37 PTS, Bridges Returns, Charlotte Likely Eliminated from IST

A massive difference in 3-point shooting was a critical factor in the Charlotte Hornets falling to the Milwaukee Bucks, 130-99, on Friday night at Spectrum Center, likely ending their In-Season Tournament chances.

LaMelo Ball poured in a season-high 37 points – one off his career high – on 12-of-28 shooting, five rebounds and five assists in the loss. His consecutive 25-point game streak climbed to six, now the longest by Charlotte player since Kemba Walker’s six-game streak from Feb. 26 – March 8, 2017, and tied for the third-longest overall in franchise history, per Stathead.com.

For the second straight game, Charlotte’s offense was clicking out of the gates, leading to a 37-28 advantage after the opening quarter. Milwaukee would fight back though, winning the next two frames by 20 collective points while shooting 55.0% and 66.7% from 3-point range (12-of-18) over the 24-minute span. The Hornets got as close as six early in the fourth, before a 21-7 run by the Bucks over the ensuing six minutes sealed their fate for good.

Charlotte shot 40.1% and converted only 6-of-23 from 3-point range (23.1%), with the final three quarters featuring a 2-of-18 long-distance clip. Brook Lopez’s (six blocks) sensational rim protection helped limit the Hornets to just 48 paint points on 24-of-49 shooting and the team’s final assist total (18) was only one more than the current seasonal low.

“We had a great first quarter where the ball moved, went side to side, but we were inside-out,” said Hornets Head Coach Steve Clifford. “We created a lot of good shots. Sometimes when the ball’s going in the basket, we stop doing it. I took a timeout, and I told them that I think we went seven possessions where not once did we pass more than once. I don’t think it hit the paint other than we had a play where we tried to score over Lopez, which is not going to be a wise decision. I think we went from like 11 up to four down in like seven possessions because we weren’t taking good shots, and then they were running down the other way and scoring. You’ve got to know what’s working, you’ve got to stay with it, and that’s what we didn’t do.”

The biggest storyline coming into the game was Miles Bridges making his first NBA appearance since the team’s Play-In Game loss in Atlanta way back on April 13, 2022. All things considered, Bridges looked impressive out on the floor, finishing with 17 points on 6-of-13 shooting, five rebounds, four assists and two steals in over 33 minutes off the bench.

“It was great,” said Bridges, when asked about the crowd’s response when he checked into the game. “I missed these fans. I didn’t know what to expect. I was just happy to go out there and be able to play. I know we lost the game, but it was good to be in front of the fans again. I always feel like I can do better. I know I had time off, but I felt good, so there’s really no excuses. I can definitely play better defensively, so next game, I’m going to try and fix that.”

Damian Lillard scored 27 points – 18 coming in the third quarter – on 9-of-18 shooting and fellow starter Malik Beasley added another 20 points. These two guards combined to shoot 11-of-20 on 3-point attempts, accounting for exactly half of Milwaukee’s season-high 22-of-45 makes from behind the arc (48.9%).

The Hornets will close out their all-home back-to-back against the New York Knicks on Saturday, Nov. 18 beginning at 6 PM ET at Spectrum Center. Catch all the action on Bally Sports Southeast and WFNZ 92.7 FM.