Foul shooting leaves Charlotte Hornets short in road loss to the Milwaukee Bucks
The Charlotte Hornets are still winless on the road, but much of what happened in a 103-94 loss to the Bucks in Milwaukee was cause for optimism.
Missing five rotation players, the Hornets got a huge rebounding game from center Dwight Howard. However, Howard missed nine free throws, including two in the last minute at the Bradley Center.
Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, the NBA’s leading scorer entering this game, finished with 32 points. Howard totaled 22 rebounds, four short of matching his career high. The Hornets’ single-game record is 25 by Emeka Okafor.
Frank Kaminsky came off the bench to lead the Hornets (1-2) in scoring with 18, making three of his four 3-pointers. Jeremy Lamb had 17 points and Kemba Walker added 15.
Three who mattered
Howard: In addition to all his rebounds, Howard got Bucks center Thon Maker in foul trouble early in the third quarter. Howard has 52 rebounds in his first three games as a Hornet.
Antetokounmpo: That combination of his 6-foot-11 height and point guard skill stresses defenses like Magic Johnson once did.
Mirza Teletovic: He made five of his first eight 3-point attempts.
Observations
▪ The injuries continue to be just brutal on the Hornets early this season. Monday morning the team announced reserve point guard Julyan Stone would miss four to six weeks with a hamstring strain he suffered in practice Sunday.
▪ The players unavailable to play for the Hornets were Stone, Nic Batum (elbow), Cody Zeller (knee), Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (death in the family) and Michael Carter-Williams (knees). Kidd-Gilchrist practiced Saturday and Sunday, but coach Steve Clifford decided he wasn’t ready after missing 12 days because of his grandmother’s passing.
▪ Hornets general manager Rich Cho said Monday morning the team will ride out the injuries for now, rather than sign a fill-in. The Hornets have an open roster spot, but are closing in on the NBA’s luxury-tax threshold of about $119 million per team.
▪ With so many injuries, the Hornets brought rookies Mangok Mathiang and former North Carolina guard Marcus Paige to Milwaukee, and both were activated for this game. Paige and Mathiang signed the NBA’s new two-way contracts with the Hornets. That means each will likely spend most of the season with the G-League Greensboro Swarm.
▪ Turnovers have been a problem for the Hornets early season and the start of this game was no exception: They gave away possession five times by the middle of the first quarter.
Worth mentioning
▪ Howard grabbed eight rebounds in his first eight minutes Monday.
▪ Kaminsky, who played college ball at Wisconsin, had a thunderous dunk in the second quarter.
▪ Neither Paige nor Mathiang got in the game
Report card
B OFFENSE: Some good drive-and-kick actions, as Hornets learn their new teammates’ preferences.
B DEFENSE: Exceptional rebounding and rim protection by Howard.
B+ COACHING: Considering all the absent players, a good game plan on the “Greek Freak,” not giving him constant free throws.
Rick Bonnell: 704-358-5129, @rick_bonnell
BUCKS 103, HORNETS 94
Charlotte | Min | FG-A | FT-A | R | A | F | Pt |
Bacon | 24:23 | 2-6 | 1-2 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
Williams | 28:00 | 3-10 | 1-3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 9 |
Howard | 34:06 | 4-6 | 0-9 | 22 | 1 | 4 | 8 |
Lamb | 34:16 | 5-17 | 6-6 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 17 |
Walker | 34:06 | 6-15 | 2-2 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 15 |
Kaminsky | 33:41 | 6-8 | 3-4 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 18 |
Graham | 20:00 | 2-3 | 0-2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
Monk | 17:34 | 1-6 | 2-2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
O’Bryant III | 13:54 | 4-7 | 6-6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 14 |
Totals | 240:00 | 33-78 | 21-36 | 48 | 17 | 21 | 94 |
Percentages: FG .423, FT .583. 3-Point Goals: 7-26, .269 (Kaminsky 3-4, Williams 2-5, Lamb 1-5, Walker 1-6, Bacon 0-3, Monk 0-3). Team Rebounds: 12. Team Turnovers: 14 (14 PTS). Blocked Shots: 5 (Howard 4, O’Bryant III). Turnovers: 14 (Lamb 4, Walker 3, Howard 2, Kaminsky 2, Monk, O’Bryant III, Williams). Steals: 3 (Williams 2, Walker). Technical Fouls: coach Hornets (Defensive three second), 4:37 second.
Milwaukee | Min | FG-A | FT-A | R | A | F | Pt |
Antetokounmpo | 39:18 | 13-21 | 6-8 | 14 | 6 | 5 | 32 |
Middleton | 34:32 | 8-19 | 3-3 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 20 |
Maker | 15:30 | 2-7 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 6 |
Dellavedova | 33:01 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 3 | 9 | 4 | 2 |
Snell | 37:24 | 4-8 | 5-5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 13 |
Teletovic | 23:44 | 5-10 | 0-0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 15 |
Liggins | 20:35 | 2-4 | 0-0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
Monroe | 20:30 | 4-9 | 0-0 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 8 |
Henson | 12:00 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Payton II | 3:26 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Totals | 240:00 | 40-85 | 14-16 | 42 | 24 | 27 | 103 |
Percentages: FG .471, FT .875. 3-Point Goals: 9-26, .346 (Teletovic 5-9, Maker 2-6, Liggins 1-2, Middleton 1-5, Payton II 0-1, Snell 0-1, Dellavedova 0-2). Team Rebounds: 5. Team Turnovers: 13 (15 PTS). Blocked Shots: 4 (Antetokounmpo 2, Liggins, Middleton). Turnovers: 13 (Antetokounmpo 6, Liggins 2, Middleton 2, Dellavedova, Snell, Teletovic). Steals: 8 (Maker 3, Snell 2, Antetokounmpo, Liggins, Middleton).
Charlotte | 25 | 29 | 23 | 17 | — | 94 |
Milwaukee | 18 | 35 | 30 | 20 | — | 103 |
Att.—12,887 (18,717).
Officials—James Capers, Leroy Richardson, Ben Taylor
This story was originally published October 23, 2017 at 10:41 PM with the headline "Foul shooting leaves Charlotte Hornets short in road loss to the Milwaukee Bucks."