Bucks crush Hornets, become first team to 50 wins


Reuters | Updated: 10-03-2019 10:30 IST | Created: 10-03-2019 10:30 IST
Bucks crush Hornets, become first team to 50 wins

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 26 points and 13 rebounds, Brook Lopez scored 25, and the host Milwaukee Bucks beat the Charlotte Hornets 131-114 on Saturday night. The Bucks trailed by as many as 14 in the second quarter but exploded for 39 third-quarter points to take the lead before increasing their advantage to as many as 18 in the fourth quarter.

The Bucks became the first team in the league to reach the 50-win plateau. They are now 27-5 at home. They have won two straight and nine of their past 11. Antetokounmpo played just 30 minutes, scoring 20 of his points in the second half. Lopez scored 18 of his points in the third quarter when the Bucks rallied and seized control.

The Bucks also got 18 points each from Malcolm Brogdon and Nikola Mirotic. Eric Bledsoe and Donte DiVincenzo added 11 each. The Bucks hit 17 3-pointers collectively. The Hornets seemed to run out of gas after a 112-111 win over Washington on Friday night. They remain 10th in the Eastern Conference playoff race, now 1 1/2 games behind No. 8 Miami and a half-game behind No. 9 Orlando.

Kemba Walker led the Hornets with 25 points. Frank Kaminsky scored 16, Miles Bridges 15, Nic Batum and Jeremy Lamb 14 apiece, and Cody Zeller 10. The Hornets were without Tony Parker and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Parker was given the night off, while Kidd-Gilchrist suffered a strained knee in the win over Washington on Friday night. The Bucks were without George Hill because of a groin injury.

The Hornets led 32-24 after one quarter. They pushed the lead up to 14 on three occasions in the second quarter, the latest at 48-34, before the Bucks closed the gap to 59-55 at halftime. Lopez then went wild in the third quarter and the Bucks led 94-87 after three. Milwaukee then turned the game into a rout quickly in the fourth quarter, leading 124-106 at one point.

The Hornets were opening a four-game road trip. They will play at Houston on Monday with games at Washington and Miami later on the trip. The Bucks will play at San Antonio on Sunday to open a three-game road trip. They'll also play at New Orleans and Miami on the trip.

--Field Level Media

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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