NBA: Bucks build big edge, hold off Hornets for fifth straight win
Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks blocks a shot by Dennis Smith Jr. #8 of the Charlotte Hornets during the second half of a game at Fiserv Forum on January 31, 2023 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Stacy Revere/Getty Images/AFP
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 34 points and grabbed 18 rebounds, and the Milwaukee Bucks survived a turbulent fourth quarter to record their fifth consecutive victory, beating the visiting Charlotte Hornets 124-115 on Tuesday.
Milwaukee went nearly seven minutes between made field goals in the fourth period, and Charlotte steadily whittled down what had been a 17-point Bucks lead with less than seven minutes remaining to five points with just over a minute to go.
Foul shooting proved to be enough for Milwaukee to keep the Hornets at bay, as the Bucks went 5 of 6 at the line in the final 1:14.
34 points
18 rebounds
4 assistsGiannis and the Bucks win at home 💪 pic.twitter.com/S1riI49zn9
— NBA (@NBA) February 1, 2023
Charlotte went cold after cutting the deficit to five points. Mason Plumlee, whose final two points on a 14-point, 14-rebound night pulled the Hornets within 118-113 with 1:06 left, missed a would-be and-one free-throw attempt but gathered his final rebound on the carom.
Jalen McDaniels missed a 3-point attempt on the ensuing possession that would have made it a one-possession game, and P.J. Washington committed a foul that effectively ended the rally.
LaMelo Ball kept Charlotte in it with his second triple-double of the season. He scored a team-high 27 points, dished a game-high 11 assists and grabbed 10 rebounds.
Ball also blocked a team-high three shots.
Terry Rozier scored 20 points as Charlotte saw its two-game winning streak end. Gordon Hayward added 16 points, McDaniels finished with 15 off the bench and Washington had 14.
Milwaukee’s Jrue Holiday had 15 points and 13 rebounds. Khris Middleton came off the bench to score 18 points, Wesley Matthews added 11 in reserve and Grayson Allen scored all 12 of his points on 4-of-9 3-point shooting.
Milwaukee finished 15 of 44 (34.1 percent) from deep and 41 percent from the field. Charlotte shot 11 of 39 (28.2 percent) from beyond the arc and 37.8 percent from the floor.
