Hornets 105, Bucks 90: Charlotte's second quarter sets up a preseason home finale win
Charlotte outscored Milwaukee 31-19 in the second quarter and never let the lead shrink in a 105-90 preseason win at Spectrum Center.
The Charlotte Hornets beat the Milwaukee Bucks 105-90 on Sunday, October 11, at Spectrum Center in their final preseason home game. Charlotte led from early on, built the margin in the second quarter and was never seriously challenged after halftime.
How it was decided
Charlotte led 29-26 after one quarter, according to TalkBasket's game report. The second quarter was the difference: the Hornets won it 31-19 and went into the break up 60-45. Brandon Miller hit a three from about 25 feet with 9:09 left to make it 37-31 and added another soon after for a 44-35 lead. Liam McNeeley hit two threes late in the half, and Naz Reid hit one with 2.8 seconds left.
The third quarter stretched the lead. Reid and Miller scored early, and a running dunk from McNeeley made it 70-50. Tyler Herro scored repeatedly for Milwaukee in the period, including two threes, but Charlotte led 87-66 entering the fourth. The reserves took over from there, and threes from Jarkel Joiner and Michael Ajayi pushed the margin to 102-81, per TalkBasket.
The numbers
Miller led Charlotte with 18 points, WFAE reports, adding four assists and shooting 4-of-9 from three-point range, per TalkBasket. Reid had 16 points, and Moussa Diabate had 8 points and 11 rebounds. Sion James scored 11 off the bench on three threes, and McNeeley also had 11 with five assists. Royce O'Neale scored nine points in 17 minutes and was a team-best plus-19.
For Milwaukee, Herro scored 18 points, Kyle Kuzma and Ryan Rollins had 12 each, and Jaime Jaquez Jr. added nine points, seven rebounds and four assists. The Bucks shot 32 of 89 from the field (36 percent) and 15 of 46 from three. Charlotte made 17 of 51 threes, won the rebounding battle 54-48 and had 29 assists to Milwaukee's 23.
What it means
It is preseason, and the results carry no weight in the standings. Charlotte moved to 1-1 and Milwaukee fell to 1-2, according to TalkBasket. What the game shows is limited: Charlotte's three-point volume, 51 attempts, and ball movement were the foundation of the win, and the second-unit group of James, Joiner and Ajayi contributed in a game that was already in hand.
Charlotte next plays at the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night and opens the regular season on October 21 at the Brooklyn Nets, WFAE reports.