3 takeaways from Milwaukee Bucks’ unpleasant loss to Charlotte Hornets
By Dalton Sell
After a fantastic win against the Brooklyn Nets the night before, the Milwaukee Bucks aimed to make it two in a row as they took on the Charlotte Hornets last night.
The Bucks looked to be in control as they claimed an early 11-point lead, but the ever-persistent Hornets battled back and took a double-digit lead of their own. They maintained that lead for the majority of the game until the Bucks battled back late in the fourth quarter to make it a four-point game with under a minute left.
Unfortunately, Milwaukee’s valiant comeback effort fell just short as Charlotte guard Terry Rozier buried a clutch triple to put them up by seven points and seal the deal shortly after. It was a tough break for the Bucks, but they will get another crack at these Hornets as they face off again on Monday. Before then, let us take a look at three takeaways from last night’s matchup.
Despite the Milwaukee Bucks’ tough loss, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s dominance continued against the Charlotte Hornets
It would be difficult to choose a basketball player playing better than Giannis Antetokounmpo has been recently, even before his dominant performance last night. The current MVP frontrunner had himself a game to remember as he stepped up for the shorthanded Bucks and nearly willed them to what would have been a memorable victory.
Offensively, Antetokounmpo was a freight train as he consistently powered his way to the hoop despite seeing three Hornets often converging at him. With the handful of bodies trying to slow him down, the Greek Freak took a beating as he was awarded an astounding 20 free throw shots in the game. He made good on them for the most part as he knocked 18, giving flashbacks to his sensational effort from the stripe in Game 6 of the NBA Finals this past summer.
When he did not get fouled, Antetokounmpo shot 8-of-14 on the night from 2-point range and an efficient 3-of-6 from behind the arc. He finished with an impressive 43 points to the game, which included 21 in the fourth quarter alone as he propelled Milwaukee’s attempted comeback effort. 43 points alone is enough to be amazed, but Antetokounmpo stuffed the stat sheet all-around by tallying 12 rebounds, three assists, a steal, and two blocks in his 37 minutes of action.
It stings that the Bucks let this one slip away despite such an authoritative performance from the MVP, especially considering how close it was late.