Charlotte Hornets give the Milwaukee Bucks a hard time in loss
If there was ever a moral victory, the Charlotte Hornets secured one on Sunday afternoon at the hive.
The Charlotte Hornets started their four-game home stand with a 93-85 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. While the scoreboard does not reflect how the Hornets played, the team definitely came out of this one with a moral victory.
In the closing stages of the game, the Hornets had made it a one-point game. After a questionable call and eight straight free throw attempts for the Bucks, the Hornets could not keep up to pull off the upset.
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The Hornets trailed for a portion of the game, but the team held a lot of the momentum through the first three quarters. As soon as the late free throws came, the Hornets’ momentum disappeared.
The leading scorer for the Hornets was Devonte’ Graham, who finished with 17 points and three assists. Terry Rozier contributed with 13 points, and the Hornets had a total of five players finish with 10+ points.
Willy Hernangomez also gave Charlotte some meaningful minutes off the bench, as he finished with 10 points and 13 rebounds. This was Hernangomez’s second double-double of the season.
One of the most exciting things to see in this game was the play by Cody Martin and Caleb Martin. The twin brothers pressured the Bucks into many turnovers, and they got into the heads of some on the opposing team.
The Martin brothers were electric, and this game featured a Martin to Martin alley-oop dunk. Going forward, this should be a huge confidence booster for the rookies.
With the impressive play from the bench, the Hornets only had three players finish with a positive +/-; these players were Willy Hernangomez (+11), Cody Martin (+2), and Caleb Martin (+13).
Something that really hurt the Hornets in this game was the lack of rebounding. The bucks outrebounded the Hornets 61-47. The Hornets were lucky to keep the game as close as it was with the lack of rebounding.
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Moving forward, the Hornets will remain in the 10th spot in the Eastern Conference standings. The team is set to play the San Antonio Spurs at home on Tuesday, as this will be the final matchup of the season between the two teams.