All Hornets

Giannis Hits Game-Winner to Down Hornets

The Hornets fall to 13-11 on the season.

Schuyler Callihan

MILWAUKEE, WI - The Charlotte Hornets dropped their third straight game on Wednesday night in heartbreaking fashion against the NBA defending champion, Milwaukee Bucks by a 127-125 score.

Charlotte got off to a red hot start hitting ten threes in the first quarter alone. Miles Bridges and P.J. Washington each hit a pair of threes in the first four minutes to give the Hornets an early 17-7 lead. Kelly Oubre Jr. also hit two from deep in the opening quarter off the bench, helping the Hornets to a very impressive 41-25 lead.

On the opening play of the second quarter, Ish Smith lofted a pass up in the air for Miles Bridges who threw down the alley-oop over two-time MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo. 

However, the dunk may have fueled Antetokounmpo who singlehandedly brought the Bucks back to within just eight at the half, 68-60. Midway through the third, Milwaukee strung together some defensive stops and took their first lead of the night. The Bucks outscored the Hornets 37-27 in the third quarter to hold a 97-95 lead going into the final stanza. 

LaMelo Ball and Antetokounmpo went back and forth seemingly the final ten minutes of the game. Neither team could stretch out to a comfortable lead. In fact, the largest lead in the fourth was in the opening minute where the Bucks led by six but that was quickly erased. It was mainly a one possession affair from that point on.

With eight seconds left, Khris Middleton sank a couple of free throws to give Milwaukee a three-point lead. Ball hit a clutch three on the other end to tie things back up at 125-125. Milwaukee called a timeout to advance the ball and got the ball in Giannis' hands who hit what would be the game-winner by driving the ball at P.J. Washington in the paint. Miles Bridges heaved one up from near midcourt and nearly got it to fall but it rimmed out, allowing the Bucks to hold on for the victory.

Ball finished the night with 36 points (career-high), nine assists, and five rebounds. He also set a career-high with eight made threes.

Up next, the Hornets will take on the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. EST.

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Schuyler Callihan
SCHUYLER CALLIHAN

schuylercallihan(at)gmail.com  Twitter:@Callihan_ Schuyler Callihan is the lead publisher of Mountaineers Now, All Panthers, and All Hornets on FanNation/Sports Illustrated. He took over publishing duties of All Panthers in 2020 and wanted to expand his professional coverage in the Queen City by running the operations at All Hornets. Schuyler attended Bethany College in Bethany, West Virginia before finishing up his schooling at Alamance Community College in Graham, North Carolina. The Wheeling, West Virginia native made the move to North Carolina in 2015 and has been in Charlotte since 2021.

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