3 takeaways from Milwaukee Bucks’ sizeable win over Charlotte Hornets

Every member of the Milwaukee Bucks’ started five tallied double-digit points, which helped propel their big victory

After it seemed like they lacked any energy against the Nets on Saturday, the Milwaukee Bucks’ starters came out and immediately set the tone against the Hornets.

Giannis Antetokounmpo was particularly great, making his presence felt on sides of the floor early with several emphatic blocked shots and highlight-worthy dunks. The Greek Freak did get a big lift from the charity stripe with his 14 attempts, but he also shot 6-of-10 from the field to finish with 26 points, a game-high. Jrue Holiday also stepped up offensively for the Bucks and finished as the second-leading scorer with 21 points, but there will be more on his stunning performance in just a moment.

Coming off a career night where he knocked down an astounding eight threes versus Brooklyn, Bobby Portis kept the ball rolling against the Hornets. The big man was in attack mode all night, hunting for shorts at the rim, in the mid-range, and especially from behind the arc. It undoubtedly worked in his favor as Portis clocked in another great game with 20 points on 50 percent shooting, which included going 4-of-7 from downtown. With 10 rebounds to go along with it, Portis notched yet another impressive double-double.

Grayson Allen, who had been awfully quiet lately leading up to this game, finally showed signs of life as he chipped in 11 points while hitting three of his six attempts from deep. The Bucks are still struggling to get the sharpshooting guard involved in the offense most nights, but a game such as this one could be the perfect jumpstart to get him going down the stretch. In addition to Allen, one player that the Bucks needed more from was Khris Middleton, and while he added 19 points to the team’s total, it did not come easy as he shot 5-of-16 from the floor, including 3-of-10 from three, to get there.

In total, Milwaukee’s starters scored 97 of their 130 points in the game. Given how much it looked like the Bucks needed this game, seeing the starting five assert themselves and play with such an authoritative approach is a positive sign.