Hornets withstand Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 43 in win

Terry Rozier hit six three-point shots on the way to 28 points as the host Charlotte Hornets held off the Milwaukee Bucks, 114-106, on Saturday night, January 8 (Sunday, January 9, Manila time).

Miles Bridges produced 21 points and 8 rebounds, LaMelo Ball supplied 19 points and Kelly Oubre Jr. had 18 points for the Hornets.

Giannis Antetokounmpo racked up 43 points for the Bucks, with 18 of those coming on free throws. He was 11-for-20 from the field.

Khris Middleton’s 27 points and Bobby Portis’ 19 were also a boost for Milwaukee, while Wesley Matthews had all his 9 points via three first-half three-pointers.

The Bucks, playing again under acting coach Darvin Ham as Mike Budenholzer is out because of COVID protocols, were fresh off Friday night’s convincing victory at Brooklyn.

Aside from Rozier’s 6-for-10 mark on threes, the Hornets were a combined 10-for-38 from long range.

Ball scored 6 points in the first 4 1/2 minutes of the third quarter as the Hornets stretched their lead to 65-52.

Milwaukee didn’t show signs of producing a comeback. The Bucks managed just four points in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter.

By the time Charlotte’s PJ Washington connected on a three-pointer, it was 104-89 with 5:18 to play. 

Antetokounmpo scored the next four points on free throws, but the Bucks stalled with a turnover when they had a chance to further trim the deficit.

An Antetokounmpo three-pointer cut the gap to 108-102 with 1:40 remaining.

Milwaukee’s 24-for-26 shooting on free throws allowed it to stay within range.

Charlotte led 47-41 at halftime despite not scoring in the last three minutes of the first half. The Bucks scored two points across the last 4 1/2 minutes of the half.

The Bucks managed only 12 points in the second quarter. They shot 30.6% from the field in the opening half.

Charlotte’s reserves combined to outscore Milwaukee’s backups by 15-2 in the first half.

The teams meet again Monday night in the same arena. – Rappler.com