Bucks earn another In-Season Tournament victory with balanced effort against Hornets
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Milwaukee Bucks (8-4) won their second In-Season Tournament game on Friday night with a 130-99 victory against the Charlotte Hornets (3-8) at Spectrum Center.
The Bucks overcame an early 13-point deficit in the second quarter to take a halftime lead and eventually built that margin to 20 late in the fourth quarter before the starters were pulled.
Giannis Antetokounmpo began the day questionable to play with a right calf strain but ended up starting, and he finished with 16 points, nine assists and eight rebounds while battling foul trouble. Malik Beasley scored 11 second-quarter points and Damian Lillard scored 18 in the third quarter to key the Bucks, and Lillard finished with 27 while Beasley had 20.
Khris Middleton (12), Brook Lopez (15), Pat Connaughton (11) and Bobby Portis (13) all finished in double figures for Milwaukee as the Bucks set season highs in shooting percentage (55.1%) and assists (32).
“It’s growing,” Middleton said of the team's depth and cohesion. “You can see everybody; the pieces are starting to come together. We know we still have a long way to go, still have things to work on but I think over the last week we’ve taken a big step of learning each other, figuring out the style we want to play and figuring out who we are as a team.”
LaMelo Ball led the Hornets with 37 points on 28 shots.
Giannis Antetokounmpo returns after missing game with a calf strain
After missing the Bucks' victory in Toronto on Wednesday night, Antetokounmpo said he had treatment Thursday night and Friday morning and did an afternoon workout that included sprints. He knew he wasn’t 100% but felt he knew his body well enough that he could play without risking further injury.
“I didn’t feel great, but I feel like I was at a level that I could compete. I could run up and down so we decided for me to try it, try to play.”
He played 28 minutes and had five fouls, but handed out a season-high nine assists.
“I love how we shared the ball and moved the ball and looking for each other,” Bucks head coach Adrian Griffin said. “That’s something we’ve been stressing probably the last week or so. Just a fun way to play. I think Giannis really spearheaded that. He started spraying (passes) around, we were getting open shots and they trust each other. Pat was, I think, 1-for-6 in the first half and then Giannis starts feeding him and just making unselfish plays. It’s just so good for the spirit of the team. It was just a total team effort on both ends of the floor."
Did you notice?
With 7:30 left in the first half, Hornets rookie Brandon Miller tried to dunk on Brook Lopez. The Bucks’ 7-foot, 1-inch center met the 6-8 lottery pick at the rim and knocked the ball away — which eventually led to a Milwaukee basket.
Miller, the No. 2 selection, was yet another member of the 2023 NBA draft class to try Lopez at the rim, and he was another who learned the hard way that few who challenge him are successful. Miami’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. (No. 18) and Toronto’s Grady Dick (No. 13) also gave a run at Lopez only to find themselves trying to get back up off the court and back on defense.
“Yeah … I’ve tried to dunk on Brook many times in practice,” Antetokounmpo said with a smile. “It’s kinda hard, man. He has great timing. And he has a big body. Like, it’s hard to get over the top of him. It’s always good to have him on your side. It’s good to see other players learn their lesson when they try to go, try to dunk on Brook.”
Griffin noted that the Bucks outscored the Hornets by 30 with Lopez on the court during his 32 minutes of play. The center added seven rebounds and two assists to his stat line.
“I really want to take this time (to say) my appreciation for Brook and all that he does out there,” Griffin added. “He’s a plus-30. I don’t look too much into that at times but, when he’s on the floor, we’re just a better team. And he does a lot of the gritty, tough work, protecting the paint, fighting for rebounds, and so unselfish on the offensive end. He’s been tremendous for us.”
Khris Middleton plays front end of back-to-back
For the first time this season, Khris Middleton played in the first game of a back-to-back, and Griffin smiled pregame when it was suggested if the In-Season Tournament contest played a role in that decision.
Middleton played a season-high 22 minutes, and perhaps would've gotten to 25 had the game been closer at the end. He finished with 12 points.
“Staying with the plan," Middleton said of his minutes. "The plan has been working great. I’ve been feeling great overall, so I mean, some nights I’m going to play more minutes than not. Some nights I’m going to play less minutes. But it’s not me having a setback. That’s what the game plan is, from they’re telling me.”
But earlier in the day, Antetokounmpo was questionable to play against the Hornets due to a calf injury and, under the NBA’s new player participation policy, no more than one "star" player can rest for a team. While Middleton is still on a minutes restriction and has missed two games due to right knee injury management, he is considered a “star” player by the NBA due to his 2022 All-Star appearance.
Griffin was non-committal about Middleton playing Saturday against Dallas.
“I’ll let those guys tell you what I’m going to do — I think that’s what worked for me best in the past so I’ll keep it that way,” Middleton said when asked if he was playing against the Mavericks.
Five numbers
1-5: Charlotte’s record at home this season, and all five losses have been in a row since winning the season opener at Spectrum Center on Oct. 25.
6: Straight games Lopez has had multiple blocks, finishing with seven. It was his third game with at least seven, and also marked the seventh time in his last eight games he’s done so. Lopez led the NBA in total blocks last season.
Lillard: "He might average (expletive) six blocks this season. I ain’t never seen nothin’ like it. Every time I look up, he’s got seven blocks and eight blocks. But that’s what he does. That’s one of his strengths."
8: Bucks players who have been called for technical fouls this season, as Beasley was awarded a T in the first half. Players have accounted for 11 technicals this season for Milwaukee.
11: Point run by the Bucks in the early second quarter that helped them chip away at a 13-point deficit. Five players scored in that stretch, which mushroomed into a 17-2 run that helped the Bucks turn the momentum of the half and eventually led to them taking a 59-57 lead at halftime.
Beasley: "Those guys Cam Payne and Bobby Portis, man, they come with energy every night. It’s just making sure that we do that and I wanted to be a part of that. We kept looking at the scorer’s table and they still sitting down, so we must be doing something right. Just gotta continue that. And no matter who’s on the floor, I think if we play together and we play hard, we can win a lot of games."
12: First-quarter minutes played by Lillard. He scored seven points on 3-of-8 shooting, including a 1-for-4 mark from behind the three-point line. Charlotte led 37-28 after the first.
Griffin: "In Portland all those years, he’s played the entire first quarter and I think that’s what he’s accustomed to, and he did mention that. I think he thought it would help him kind of find his rhythm a little bit better. Again, that’s what he’s been accustomed (to) for so many years and, as a coach, you listen and if it makes sense, we implement it. Him on the court is not a bad thing, so if he wants to play the quarter, it’s OK with me."
Lillard: "In my career, I’ve always been given a quarter and I think that’s been real helpful the last couple games because it gives me more time to kind of see the coverages, see what’s happening and be able to assert myself in a way that’s comfortable for me — without going through that process and then going to the bench and then coming back in the game is already kind of taken its direction. I’m able to have more impact on the direction of it. And also get myself going a little bit better that way."
Bucks admit In-Season Tournament was factor in late-game scoring
The Bucks joined the Miami Heat with 2-0 records in East Group B play in the In-Season Tournament with the victory Friday night, but Griffin acknowledged after the game that the point differential tiebreaker was on his mind when the starters stayed in the game late — and when the reserves continued to pour it on with the game well in hand.
The 31-point victory over the Hornets also gave the Bucks a plus-36 point differential in their two pool-play victories. The Heat is plus-13. Point differential is the second tiebreaker in pool play, following head-to-head record.
“I think it was more about the In-Season Tournament as far as the point differential,” Griffin said. “Wanted to make sure we continued to play and he had a few more minutes in the tank, so we wanted to take advantage of it. I spoke to (Charlotte head coach Steve Clifford) after the game. Usually with that lead, you take your starters out, but again, this was for the In-Season Tournament and we just gotta be mindful. You’ve got to put as many things in your favor.”
Middleton was diplomatic, noting that while the team was aware of the differential tiebreaker, he also knew the Hornets could still make it a game with four or five minutes left. But once the starters were pulled, the Bucks reserves went on a 13-2 run to close it out. AJ Green hit two threes and Andre Jackson Jr. hit one as well.
“It was definitely a conversation,” Lillard said of the home stretch. “You want to be respectful. You don’t want to try to embarrass teams or whatever, but it might come down to that. That’s part of the tournament and everybody’s aware of it so we had to do what we had to do.”
New York also poured it on late in its group play victory over Washington on Friday, winning by 21. That victory moved the Knicks to 1-1 in group play with a plus-16 differential.
The Hornets, while not mathematically eliminated from reaching quarterfinal play, face an uphill climb with a 1-2 record with a single game of pool play remaining.
The Bucks host the Wizards on Nov. 24 for their third game of pool play. A victory there would put them in strong position to earn a spot in the four-team Eastern Conference quarterfinal the week of Dec. 4.
What is the In-Season Tournament?
Modeled after various European soccer "cups," the NBA is introducing round-robin group play featuring all 30 teams to help make regular-season games more important to players and fans. The Bucks are in East Group B and will play New York, Miami, Washington and Charlotte.
The teams that win their groups advance to single-elimination games for the final eight teams, which are the quarterfinals, semifinals and final. The semifinals and final will be held in Las Vegas.
The group play portion of the tournament runs from Nov. 3-Dec. 9. Group play, which will be dubbed “tournament nights,” will be played every Tuesday and Friday from Nov. 3-28.
What is the Bucks' In-Season Tournament schedule?
Friday, Nov. 24: Bucks vs. Wizards, 6 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 28: Bucks at Heat, 6:30 p.m. (TNT)
Miles Bridges returns from suspension for Hornets
Charlotte welcomed back forward Miles Bridges on Friday night. The 24-year-old played 33 minutes off the bench and scored 17 points.
He missed all of last season following a June 2022 arrest for domestic violence. An unrestricted free agent at the time, no team offered him a contract. He received probation in November 2022 and then the NBA suspended him 30 games on April 14, 2023, but considered 20 of those games already served despite him not being under contract.
Bridges signed a qualifying offer with the Hornets this summer and just concluded the final 10 games of his suspension. Bridges has not faced further league discipline for an October incident in which an arrest warrant was issued for him following a violation of a protective order issued in November 2022.
On Thursday, the Hornets released the following statement: Miles Bridges is eligible to return to our active roster on Friday after serving his NBA suspension. We are comfortable with Miles returning to play based on our current understanding of the facts of the recent allegations and remain in contact with the NBA as that matter proceeds through the court process.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bucks 130, Hornets 99: Balanced effort seals In-Season Tournament win
