Hornets withstand Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 43 in win
Terry Rozier #3 of the Charlotte Hornets celebrates with teammate LaMelo Ball #2 following a three point basket late in the fourth quarter of the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Spectrum Center on January 08, 2022 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images/AFP
Terry Rozier hit six 3-point shots on the way to 28 points as the host Charlotte Hornets held off the Milwaukee Bucks 114-106 on Saturday night.
Miles Bridges produced 21 points and eight 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 nine points via three first-half 3-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.
The big night from @T_Rozzay3 gives the @hornets the win!
28 PTS | 4 REB | 4 AST | 6 3PM pic.twitter.com/4aUPBOmvr6
— NBA (@NBA) January 9, 2022
Aside from Rozier’s 6-for-10 mark on 3s, the Hornets were a combined 10-for-38 from long range.
Ball scored six 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 3-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 3-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 percent 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.
