MILWAUKEE – Las Vegas – home of the NBA Cup tournament – was the theme again inside Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on November 14, as the Bucks hosted the Charlotte Hornets for a second NBA Cup group play game. And Lady Luck ended up favoring the home team on the night, as the Bucks outlasted the Hornets, 147-134, in a wild back-and-forth game that saw 32 lead changes and required overtime to finish.
The victory prevented back-to-back losses for Milwaukee: the Bucks fell on November 12 to these same Hornets in North Carolina.
Avoiding consecutive losses means a little bit more to the Milwaukee fanbase, especially after the team’s star, Giannis Antetokounmpo, said back in April: “Good teams don’t lose two in a row.”
Bucks, Hornets exchange lead 32 times in thrilling NBA Cup game
Milwaukee was not the better team in the first half, as Antetokounmpo was slow to score at the onset. Antetokounmpo was, however, distributing early and often, and even though he took time to heat up, he was adept at finding open teammates throughout the night. It was also a return to action for the Bucks' superstar, as he did not play in Charlotte due to knee tendinitis.
But the Hornets were hitting from deep, capitalizing on the Bucks' turnovers, and getting trips to the free throw line. Driving the productive play was Miles Bridges and Kon Knueppel, with the pair helping Charlotte amass a 61-69 lead at halftime.
Late in the third, though, Myles Turner drained a 3 and then Ryan Rollins hit one of his own to draw the score even, 83-83, with more than six minutes left in the period.
But around the 10-minute mark in the fourth, a huge Flagrant 1 foul was called on Cole Anthony – fouling Miles Bridges – much to the chagrin of the Bucks faithful. Bridges made the two FTs and then scored two on the ensuing possession. The sequence gave Charlotte the lead, 106-107, and momentum.
The final few minutes were a doozy. Kuzma bank shots, Anthony fast breaks, and a flurry of assists from Antetokounmpo were answered by the exceptional play of Knueppel and Bridges. The former hit a massive 3 after a loose ball to score his 32nd point of the game- (a career best) – which tied the contest at 129 apiece. This ended up as the final score in regulation.
But in overtime, two straight 3-point makes from Turner allowed the Bucks to take a 135-131 lead. Ultimately, the four-point breather was exactly what Milwaukee needed. They went on to cap off the 13-point victory.
Bucks weren’t great throughout, but good enough to win
Rivers blamed turnovers, especially early in the game, for why the Hornets managed to hang around for the first four quarters. The Bucks committed 22 in the game, compared to 13 for Charlotte.
“They had 13 more shots and [six] more free throw [attempts], too,” Rivers explained. “We had to shoot 65% to win the game… To shoot 65%, and you go to overtime, is saying a lot.”
While it wasn’t a Grade-A performance from tip to final buzzer, there were multiple bright spots for the Bucks in the thrilling win.
Antetokounmpo continued his MVP-caliber season with another exceptional stat line. He finished with a double-double, scoring 25, delivering 18 assists, and grabbing seven rebounds to go along with two steals and a block. Seven other Bucks players finished with double digits.
Perhaps the top performer of the night for Milwaukee, though, was Kuzma. The NBA veteran, in his second start of the season, had a season-high in points, scoring 29, which led the team. He also finished with a double-double, logging 10 rebounds with five assists and four steals.
“I thought we needed the size defensively,” Rivers said of starting Kuzma. “I love Kuz with that group.”
Credit to a young Charlotte team, they were boosted by a spectacular game by Wisconsin-native Kon Knueppel. The rookie guard finished with 32 points on 60% shooting (4-9 from 3-point range). Bridges also scored 32 for the Hornets and hauled in seven rebounds.
Since “good teams” don’t lose two in a row, Milwaukee fans will be able to breathe a sigh of relief as the Bucks host the Los Angeles Lakers the following evening, November 15.
