Avenging one of their most embarrassing losses, the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Charlotte Hornets 124-115 during the NBA’s Tuesday night slate behind Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 34 points and 18 rebounds.
LaMelo Ball led Charlotte with 27 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds, but the Bucks held them off.
With a record of 16-36, Charlotte entered the night with the fourth-worst record in the NBA, but the Hornets won 138-109 at Milwaukee on Jan. 6 for their second-most lopsided loss. During the first quarter that night, the Hornets scored 51 points, which tied the NBA record for a first quarter. Antetokounmpo scored nine points.
In his postgame press conference after the Bucks defeated the Pelicans 135-110 on Sunday, Antetokounmpo spoke about how the Hornets needed to improve in the rematch. There was still a lot of excitement in this one, with Ball having a big game with some key scoring support.
NBA SCORES & NEWS: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks & Charlotte Hornets Updates
With 7:13 left, Milwaukee took a 114-97 lead on an Antetokounmpo 3-pointer, but wouldn’t make another basket until Antetokounmpo made a driving layup with 27.1 seconds left.
After Mason Plumlee hit a layup and drew a foul with 1:06 left, Charlotte cut the Bucks’ lead to 118-113. But Plumlee missed his free throw, and the Bucks took the game away.
Since returning from a sore right knee that caused him to miss 18 games, Khris Middleton scored 18 points in 20 minutes, his longest outing since coming back. The three-time All-Star has come off the bench in each of his four games since returning. A career-high 13 rebounds and 15 points were scored by Jrue Holiday.
Among the Hornets’ top scorers were Terry Rozier with 20 points, Gordon Hayward with 16, Jalen McDaniels with 15, and PJ Washington with 15. Mason Plumlee added 14 points and 14 rebounds.
NBA SCORES & NEWS: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks & Charlotte Hornets Updates
In the first three quarters, there were 11 ties and 17 lead changes, with the margin never exceeding seven points. Milwaukee took a 97-90 lead into the fourth quarter after Middleton scored 11 points during a 14-3 run late in the third quarter.
When Ball’s jumper cut Milwaukee’s lead to five points in the fourth quarter, the Bucks went on a 12-2 run. Antetokounmpo scored seven points and Jevon Carter added five.
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