The Charlotte Hornets (11-29) begin their 4 game road trip with their best win on the season, blowing out the (25-14) Milwaukee Bucks 138-109.
The key inactives for tonight’s matchup included Gordon Hayward (left hamstring soreness) and Kelly Oubre Jr. (left hand surgery) while many others were on G-League assignment. As for the Bucks, they remained without Khris Middleton who has missed the club’s last 11 games due to soreness in the right knee.
From the opening-tip, the Charlotte Hornets wasted no time as they propelled themselves with a tremendous 36-14 scoring run which allowed them to amount to a lead as large as 28 points. The Hornets went on to score 51 points in the first quarter from extremely efficient shooting: 69% from the field and 50% from three, setting a new franchise record for the most points scored in any quarter. The Hornets carried the same level of activity during the second quarter, as they scored another 33 points while defensively they slipped when it came to guarding the perimeter as they allowed the Bucks to score 32 points off of 46% shooting from three. With the half concluded, the Hornets were well on their way to victory with an 84-60 lead while having standout performances from: Terry Rozier with 25 points and LaMelo Ball with 19 points and 7 assists.
Going into the second half, perhaps there were thoughts that the Bucks would be able to stir a response of their own to comeback from such a deficit. However, the Hornets managed to put that thought to rest as they allowed the Bucks to score 27 points in the third and 22 points in the fourth while still being able to outscore them. Additionally, Terry Rozier had another noteworthy quarter in the third, as he led the way with 13 points. The Hornets had also kept up their efficient shooting as they were hitting 50% from both the field and three. When it came time for the fourth quarter, the Hornets had amounted to a lead as large as 25 points (112-87), resulting in the Bucks decision to rest their starters. From that moment on, the Hornets cruised their way to victory in such an impressive manner considering how they lost to the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night.
Terry Rozier had a monumental performance in tonight’s victory against the Bucks with 39 points while receiving additional help from: LaMelo Ball with 24 points and 12 assists, PJ Washington with 23 points, and Mason Plumlee with 17 points, 15 rebounds, and 6 assists.
As for the Bucks, their top performer was none other than Bobby Portis with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Alongside Portis, AJ Green had 13 points while Jrue Holiday and Grayson Allen both put up 12 points of their own.
Prior to tonight’s game, it should be mentioned the fact that it was suspected that the Hornets would have a difficult time guarding the former MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo as he has an average of 43.3 points, 18.3 rebounds, and 7.3 assists in his last 4 games. However, that wasn’t necessarily true as the Hornets were able to contain Antetokounmpo to only 9 points and 4 rebounds in just 21 minutes of action.
Post Game Interviews
Terry Rozier
PJ Washington
Coach Steve Clifford
What’s Next?
The Charlotte Hornets (11-29) will continue on with their 4 game road trip, with a match against the Indiana Pacers (22-18). The Pacers up to this point have been much of a surprise team as they are currently tied for the 6th seed in the eastern conference. On the season, the Pacers have the 10th ranked best offense across the league, averaging 115.8 points per game while defensively they allow for 116.1 points.
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