NBA: Bucks add to their dominance of Hornets this season
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 24 points and Damian Lillard added 23 to go with nine rebounds and seven assists as the Milwaukee Bucks routed the visiting Charlotte Hornets, 123-85, on Tuesday night.
Bobby Portis added 21 points and eight rebounds off the bench and Jae Crowder had 10 points and seven rebounds for the Bucks.
Miles Bridges led Charlotte with 17 points but was only 6 of 15 from the floor. Tre Mann scored 16 points and Brandon Miller added 14.
The game got out of hand quickly for Charlotte. Milwaukee went on a 20-2 run in the middle of the first to take a 24-11 lead. Lillard scored 14 in the quarter and Antetokounmpo added 11.
The second quarter belonged to the Bucks’ defense. Charlotte went more than eight minutes without scoring a point and managed just two in the final 10:25 of the half.
Milwaukee went into the break with a 58-26 lead. The Hornets’ point total was the lowest for any team in the first half this season. They shot 20.9 percent (9-of-43) in the half and 3-of-20 on 3-pointers.
While the Hornets’ struggles mounted, Milwaukee continued to pour it on offensively. The Bucks scoring 38 points in the third quarter by shooting 60.9 percent from the floor.
The starters didn’t see much more time as the Bucks’ lead reached 49 on multiple occasions. Milwaukee shot 51.7 percent from the floor on the game, including 40 percent from beyond the arc.
It was the fifth time in seven games that Milwaukee has held its opponent under 100 points. The Bucks had done it just once prior to this stretch, but Tuesday marked the third time this season they have done it against Charlotte. Those games, all wins for Milwaukee, have been by more than 30 points.
The season series will conclude on Thursday night in Charlotte.
