Needing to get back into the win column, the Milwaukee Bucks handled their business against the Charlotte Hornets Tuesday night with a solid 114-104 victory.
It was their first win over the Hornets this season as they avoided the season sweep after dropping two games earlier this year. Charlotte was still looking to get healthy as they were without Rookie of the Year candidate LaMelo Ball and former All-Star forward Gordon Hayward, but this was another thrilling matchup nevertheless.
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Although the regular season series between these two teams has come to a conclusion, perhaps the Bucks will see Charlotte down the road heading into the postseason, depending on how the standings shake out.
Only time will tell what happens there over the next several weeks, but there are certainly several things to highlight from Milwaukee’s bounce back win over the Hornets last night in the present.
With that being said, here are three takeaways from the Bucks’ 114-104 win in Charlotte.
The Milwaukee Bucks survive another late game scare in win over Hornets
Milwaukee’s fourth quarter issues have been a prominent issue for them periodically throughout the season. These woes have been a hot topic of discussion over the past few days after the Bucks blew a sizeable lead to the Atlanta Hawks in a 111-104 loss on Sunday.
Just as they did against the Hawks, the Bucks built up a comfortable lead midway throughout this one, leading by as many as 19. However, the Hornets never quite waived the white flag as they continued chipping away at the deficit throughout the latter stages of the game.
With just over four minutes to play, a pair of free throws from Charlotte’s Devonte’ Graham cut Milwaukee’s lead to just four. Rather than imploding entirely this time around, the Bucks kept their composure and ended the game on an 11-5 run soon after. Although they were fortunate enough to earn the victory this time, it was yet another close call for Milwaukee as they move to 10-13 in games that result in a clutch time finish this season.
Closing games in the fourth quarter has been the Achilles heel for the Bucks this season, and that will certainly be something to watch as they prepare for the playoffs.