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 It paid off again Sunday afternoon as the Hornets pulled away in the
final minute for an 87-82 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Hornets shot 48.4 percent from 3-point range, on 15 of 31,
including guard Nicolas Batum's clutch 3-pointer with 45.9 seconds
remaining that gave them the lead for good.
"It was the reason that we won," Hornets coach Steve Clifford said.
"If you look at us tonight, I don't think we played one minute where
we weren't four out and one in. So the three-ball is the whole key
to our offense. "
The Hornets (10-7) are now 5-1 on this current seven-game home
stand.
"It's a good win," Clifford said. "It wasn't always pretty but we
fought hard and those are the kind of games that good teams win.
It's a 10-win month for us, which is hard to do in this league. And
it's three in one week. The good thing is, we still have a lot of
room for growth. I think we have a good team, and we have a team
that can keep getting better."
Guard Kemba Walker led the Hornets with 22 points, including three
3-pointers. After Batum's 3-pointer broke an 80-80 tie, Walker hit a
jumper and two free throws in the final 24.7 seconds that pushed the
lead to seven.
Batum finished with 15 points, guard Jeremy Lamb scored 14, and
forward Marvin Williams scored 12. The Hornets lost center Al
Jefferson to a calf injury seven minutes into the game, but back-up
big men Frank Kaminsky, Tyler Hansbrough and Spencer Hawes combined
for 11 points and 14 rebounds.
Walker was 3-of-4 from 3-point range and said that improving his
range was the focus of his entire off-season.
"I lived in the gym this summer, working on it and just trying to be
more consistent," Walker said. "I know to take my game to another
level, I've got to make more threes and be more consistent. When I'm
making threes, it definitely opens things up for me. I'm pretty
confident right now."
Each team led by as many as 11 in the first half, but it was knotted
at 80 entering the final minute. Batum was just four of 13 from the
field for the game, but he made the game's biggest basket with 45.9
seconds left to give the Hornets the lead for good.
"Big shot by a big-time player," Bucks coach Jason Kidd said of
Batum. We were switching no matter what in that situation, but I
think when I go back and look at the tape, we just relaxed on the
handoff."
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The Bucks (6-11) have now lost six of their last seven.
Forward Khris Middleton led the Bucks with 19 points. Center Greg
Monroe finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds, guard O.J. Mayo
scored 12, guard Jerryd Bayless scored 11 and forward Jabari Parker
scored 10. Leading scorer Giannis Antetokounmpo took just five shots
all day and finished with eight points.
Kidd lamented the second quarter, when the Bucks were outscored 23-9
and made just four of 23 from the field.
"I thought it was one of our best defensive efforts," Kidd said.
"The effort was there. The energy was there. But you've got to play
four quarters, and unfortunately we came up short in one of them."
Notes: Bucks coach Jason Kidd was back on the bench after serving a
one-game suspension. Kidd missed the Bucks' 114-90 loss at Orlando
Friday for slapping the ball out of a referee's hands in a loss to
Sacramento last week. ... Hornets F Frank Kaminsky (back) and F Cody
Zeller (shoulder) both played after being limited in practice
Saturday. ... The Bucks tried their eighth different starting lineup
Sunday, with G O.J. Mayo getting his first start of the season. ...
The Hornets were coming off a 95-90 loss to Cleveland on Friday that
snapped a seven-game home court winning streak. ... This was the
second of eight Sunday afternoon games the Hornets will play this
season. ... The Bucks have committed the most fouls of any team in
the NBA, the Hornets the second-fewest. The Bucks committed 24 fouls
Sunday, the Hornets 16. ... Charlotte was playing the sixth game of
a seven-game home stand. The Hornets will close out the homestand
Wednesday night against Golden State. ... The Bucks return home to
face Denver on Monday night.
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