The Milwaukee Bucks’ historically bad first quarter leads to a blowout loss vs. Charlotte Hornets

The Bucks dropped to 16-5 at home after a shocking loss to the Hornets.

© Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports

The Milwaukee Bucks found themselves at the receiving end of an unexpected blowout when they fell to the visiting Charlotte Hornets, 138-109, on Friday night.

The Bucks faltered right at the starting gates when they allowed the Hornets to score a franchise-record 51 points in the first quarter while only scoring 28 of their own.

It was a forgettable outing for Milwaukee to say the least, as they were heavily favored going into the game after previously beating the same Charlotte squad 105-96 in their first meeting on Dec. 4.

A miserable night for Giannis

Giannis Antetokounmpo struggled mightily in the game, as he was held down to a season-low nine points in 22 minutes of play.

Giannis came into the game as the third-leading scorer averaging 32.7 points. However, the 2x MVP could not get his rhythm going against the Hornets as he went just 2 of 7 from the field. Antetokounmpo was also 5 for 11 from the free-throw line, and only mustered four rebounds while committing three turnovers.

On to the next. pic.twitter.com/PiJoYhd1sN

— Giannis Antetokounmpo (@Giannis_An34) January 7, 2023

Unproductive return

Jrue Holiday returned after missing Milwaukee’s 104-101 overtime win over the Toronto Raptors Tuesday night. However, the 32-year-old failed to provide a needed spark for the Bucks as he scored just 12 points on 4-of-9 from the floor.

George Hill also made his return from a four-game absence with a meager five-point production as the Bucks dropped to 16-5 at home.

"We didn't play great defense. They got a lot of offensive rebounds, they shot very well, they played well in transition,'' said Brook Lopez who finished with nine points. "It was a number of things, it wasn't just any one thing."

Rozier rose to the occasion

Terry Rozier was the catalyst of Charlotte’s lopsided win with a season-high 39 points on 6-of-15 from the three-point land. Rozier was also a factor in the Hornets’ decisive run in the first half where he unloaded 25 of his total output.

The 6-foot-1 guard eclipsed his scoring average of 20.1 points a game in the first two quarters of play alone after shooting 10-of-17 from the field, including a 5-of-11 from three-point range.

LaMelo Ball scored 24 points and P.J. Washington added 23, as the Hornets had six players scoring in double figures.

The Hornets played without injured Gordon Hayward and Kelly Oubre but had no trouble torching the Bucks right from the get-go.

Charlotte’s 51-point explosion in the opening period tied the NBA mark for the most first-quarter points set by Golden State against Denver in 2019.

“We made a bunch of shots early. We played really four good quarters,” Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. “The starters were terrific, they set a tone. The guys that came off the bench played well, too. It was the most sustained good solid play we’ve had so far this year.”