Charlotte Takes Advantage of Fast-Break, 2nd-Chance; Defense Hangs Tough Against Giannis

By Sam Perley

LaMelo Ball has been one of the best, if not the best, fourth-quarter performers in the NBA this season. His sensational play in the closing frame was on full display once again on Saturday afternoon at Spectrum Center, and was a pivotal factor in the Charlotte Hornets securing a narrow 115-114 home win over the Milwaukee Bucks.

Top Performers: Having accumulated 11 points through the first three quarters, Ball more than doubled his scoring total in the final 12 minutes, finishing with 26 points on 7-of-20 shooting – season-best 11-of-11 from the free-throw line – nine rebounds and six assists. Back from a three-game absence, Miles Bridges added 19 points and Josh Green tallied a season-high 15 points, five rebounds and five assists for his second career 15-5-5 game.

Fresh off a season-high 59-point explosion three days ago, Giannis Antetokounmpo notched a season-low-tying 22 points on 11-of-22 shooting, 15 rebounds, and a season-high 12 assists for his first triple-double of the campaign. Taurean Prince scored a team and season-high 23 points and drained at least three 3-pointers for the fourth straight game (season-high-tying 4-of-5).

Turning Point: Unlike last season’s four meetings which were all blowout wins for Milwaukee, neither side led by more than eight points in this back-and-forth showdown. Tied at 107-107 with 2:08 to go, Ball found Bridges for a drive-and-kick right corner 3-pointer, and then right after an Antetokounmpo dunk, sank a four-foot floater plus the foul to give Charlotte a four-point cushion. Five straight unanswered Pat Connaughton points pushed the Bucks back in front with 19 seconds left though, leaving the Hornets in need of timely basket.

On the other end, Ball drove down the lane’s right side and stumbled to the floor, but still got the benefit of the doubt on a foul call assessed to Antetokounmpo. He capitalized on the good fortune and sank both free throws, putting the hosts on top with seven seconds remaining. Moments later, Antetokounmpo let a few ticks run off and settled for a pull-up mid-range jumper, which hit the front of the rim, then the backboard before Bridges swatted it away.

Hornets Stack Fast-Break, 2^nd-Chance Points

With Bridges back, the Hornets started small with Grant Williams at the five, giving the offense an early jolt that had recently been missing. Thanks to Moussa Diabaté’s career-high 10 offensive boards and some quicker lineups, Charlotte outscored the Bucks in second-chance points, 21-8, and on the fast break, 22-9, the latter an area it ranked 29^th coming into the game. 

Antetokounmpo Kept in Check

Without Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton, Milwaukee ran its offense through the two-time MVP Antetokounmpo. Charlotte did a great job defending the Greek Freak, using double teams and limiting drives to consistently get the ball out of his hands. A multitude of those passes did become open 3-pointers, but that just comes with the territory of facing such a talented player.

Strong Showings from Bucks’ Supporting Cast

Aside from Antetokounmpo’s relatively low point total, Milwaukee got some huge performances from several rotational players; Prince, Bobby Portis Jr. (21 points), Andre Jackson Jr. (career-high 14 points) and Connaughton (10 points) all posted season highs. The Hornets’ goal was to make somebody other than Antetokounmpo beat them, and this crew nearly did just that.

Postgame Quote

“I think it’s what we did all game in terms of showing [Antetokounmpo] bodies, showing him a crowd… I thought on that last play, Grant, who all game was the primary defender on Antetokounmpo, did a really good job. He kept him in front, understood his tendencies. I thought all the guys around him understood how to kind of fake and fade and make it seem like there was a crowd there, like we were going to come help. He settled for a jumper, and I thought we had a great contest, and we finished it with a deflection out of bounds.” – Hornets Head Coach Charles Lee, on the team’s game-winning defensive stand.

What’s Next?

The start of another two-game trip awaits the Hornets in Cleveland on Sunday, Nov. 17 beginning at 6 PM ET on the FanDuel Sports Network. A 144-126 home victory over Chicago on Friday evening extended the Cavaliers’ perfect record to 14-0 and has them one win shy of tying the 1993-94 Houston Rockets and 1948-49 Washington Capitals for the second-best seasonal start in NBA history. Interestingly, the Hornets were the last team to defeat Cleveland in the regular season, doing so in last year’s finale.