LaMelo Ball scored 15 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, including the game winning free throws, as the Charlotte Hornets defeated the Milwaukee Bucks, 115-114.

The summary

The Hornets struggled on the defensive end in the first quarter. The Bucks force fed Giannis on the block, where the Hornets were forced to double due the size mismatches he causes. The double teams were effective in deterring Giannis shot attempts, but he was more than happy to kick the ball out to 3-point shooters, who were hot to start the game. Fortunately the Hornets were able to make enough shots on the other end of the floor to keep pace.

The game slowed down considerably in the second quarter. Both teams cooled off from the floor. Moussa Diabate grabbed seemingly every Hornets miss or was fouled trying to do so. He hit a turnaround jumper at the shot clock buzzer too. The extra shot attempts made up for the Bucks advantage in efficiency. The Hornets trailed by four at the half.

A mini barrage of threes from Grant Williams and birthday boy Josh Green gave the Hornets the lead early in the third and forced Doc Rivers to take a timeout. The teams traded the lead a couple of times in a very even third quarter that didn’t see anything extraordinary. By quarter’s end, the teams were separated by the same four points they were when it started.

The Hornets tied the game up early in the fourth thanks to a layup from Diabate fed to him by LaMelo Ball. Andre Jackson, who had made 5-of-17 3-pointers on the season coming into the game, hit his third and fourth 3-pointers of the game to put the Bucks back on top. A couple of strong drives by LaMelo and a kick out to Miles Bridges for three reestablished the Hornets lead. Five straight from Pat Connaughton gave the Bucks the lead back with under 20 seconds to play.

On the ensuing Hornets possession, Ball fell to the floor under defensive pressure from Giannis. He probably wasn’t fouled, but a foul was called, and the Bucks didn’t have a challenge left after challenging the previous two foul calls. He calmly knocked both down.

The Bucks had one more chance to win it with seven seconds left. Grant Williams baited Giannis into settling for a jumper. He missed it, and Miles Bridges tapped the ball safely into open space while time expired.

HOW 'BOUT THAT DEFENSE😤#HornetsHighlight pic.twitter.com/wrYLuGRcFD

— Hornets On FanDuel Sports Network (@FDSN_Hornets) November 16, 2024

The Good

LaMelo Ball expanded his lead in points per fourth quarter. He was quiet in the first three quarters as the Bucks made a point to force the ball out of his hands. He found his spots in the fourth quarter, mainly by attacking the basket for layups and foul calls. It wasn’t his most efficient game, but 11-of-11 from the line makes up for that. And he got a superstar call for the game winning free throws.

Moussa Diabate has been a diamond in the rough. He was a real difference maker over the middle parts of the game. He reeled 10 offensive rebounds and drew a number of loose ball fouls to get Brook Lopez in first half foul trouble. He seems to be growing in confidence with the ball in his hands as well. He made a turnaround jumper with the shot clock on his back and beat Lopez with an up and under move. He finished with 12 points, 14 rebounds, and three blocks off the bench.

Miles Bridges didn’t show any signs of rust after missing the last three games with a bone bruise in his knee. He was the Hornets second leading scorer and might have had his most encouraging game as a slasher after settling too much for jumpers in the first couple weeks of the season.

Josh Green had his best game as a Hornet, and it came on his birthday no less. He finished with 15 points and was more aggressive with the ball in his hands. And he brought his typical relentless defense as well.

Grant Williams did a very good job as the primary defender on Giannis. He encouraged the Greek Freak to settle for jumpers and threw his weight around when Giannis would try to drive.

Along with Williams, the Hornets flawlessly executed their defensive game plan. Giannis rarely saw less than two bodies between he and the rim. There was a stretch in the first half where the Bucks got hot from deep off kickouts, but those dried up in the second half as the Hornets really dialed in defensively. They made the other Bucks beat them, and the other Bucks couldn’t quite pull it off.

The Hornets had issues with turnovers and fouls in their recent losses. They only turned the ball over 10 times and put the Bucks on the line for just 11 free throws. That’s how you improve in your time off.

The Bad

There wasn’t really anything to nitpick in this one. Everyone did their jobs. It was a good team win.