The Bucks finished strong to secure a win against the Hornets

For three quarters, the Bucks will play to scare each other. Milwaukee started the game in a false rhythm, attended by the aggressiveness of Mason Plumlee and the activity of LaMelo Ball. 8-2 and then two 3-point baskets from Wes Matthews were enough to restore the local lead after 12 minutes, but not to calm the determination of the Hornets (34-27).

Two 3-pointers and Gordon Hayward’s guilty dunk helped get Charlotte back on track. There was still a trace of annoyance on the Milwaukee side when Jaden McDaniels hit his 3rd basket from 3-pointers in the second quarter. Penalized with a technical foul for being out of joint, Brook Lopez allowed the Hornets to tie the game at 64-64 at the break, a narrow victory.

Whether it’s Mason Plumlee’s new stunt on an alley-oop with a bonus foul, the Hornets’ repeated 3-pointers in preferential positions, the transition game, the Bucks always seem to struggle in the return locker rooms (81- 85).

After Grayson Allen, Khris Middleton picked up the scoring to give his team a 9-1 lead shortly before the end of the third quarter. Enough to give some air, Milwaukee is back to +7 with 12 minutes from the end (97-90).

It was then that Giannis Antetokounmpo regained control with two drives including an “and-one” and a counter to Dennis Smith Jr before Jevon Carter found himself offering the Bucks’ biggest advantage of the game so far, which with one shot 3-pointers in transition (105-92). More aggressively, Giannis Antetokounmpo put down a big left hand dunk to confirm his return to business. The match could not escape the Bucks, winners with a score of 124-115, almost without force, despite a disastrous end to the match (1/15 shooting in the last 7 minutes).

WHAT YOU SHOULD REMEMBER

– A match is over in five minutes. After struggling for nearly thirty minutes, it was enough for the last three minutes of the third period and the first two of the fourth quarter to see the Bucks settle their opponent’s account for the night, with a 9-1 then an 8- 0 to go from -4 to +13. It was a dangerous game but it remained scoreless for Milwaukee, which thus sealed its 21st home victory in 26 games.

– Brook Lopez is the scratcher. A candidate for the title of the best defender of the year, the Bucks pivot still scored points last night. He showed the way by defending his territory against Mason Plumlee, causing a nice cut on his counterpart Charlotte’s forehead. Brook Lopez continued his defense with 5 blocks and deterrence, until the end, which resulted in his 6th foul a minute from the end. This is the 7th time this season that he has scored 5 or more blocks in a game!

TOPS/FLOPS

✅ Giannis Antetokounmpo. The “minimum” service for the Bucks star who waited for the fourth quarter to raise his voice and left the Hornets in the doldrums by scoring 15 of his 34 points. Instilling confidence with two drives and a big dunk, he even offered himself a 3-pointer with the first intention to seal the fate of the match fairly quickly in the fourth quarter.

✅ Chris Middleton. We’re still far from Khris Middleton at his best, but the winger is slowly coming back to his senses. Substituted from the bench, he delivered his best game since his return, with a good third quarter pass to finish with 18 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists in 20 minutes.

✅⛔️ LaMelo Ball. The statistics, a triple-double in this case, but an impact on his team’s game that should be greater. We’ll keep his pass selection instead of his shot selection when he goes 7 games in a row with less than 50% shooting success.

⛔️Terry Rozier. He was the hero of the Hornets’ surprise victory in Milwaukee three weeks ago. He was zero last night with a completely missed match, 2 points at the break to finish in 16 units with a pitiful 4/17 shooting.

THE FOLLOWING

Milwaukee (34-17) : Bucks will host the Clippers this Thursday (04:00).

Charlotte (15-37) : The Hornets will continue their road trip in Chicago this Thursday (02:00).