CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 34 points as the Milwaukee Bucks held off the Charlotte Hornets to win their fifth game in a row.
Charlotte was efforting toward pulling off their second upset of the month over the Bucks. The last time these teams met on Jan. 6, the Hornets clobbered the Bucks 138-109 thanks to an NBA-record 51 points in the first quarter.
The Hornets seemed poised to pull out another win against the Bucks and led at various points through the first three quarters but Milwaukee doubled down in the closing period to win 124-115.
The lead swapped through the first quarter before the Bucks emerged to a 34-27 lead by the end of the frame.
Charlotte turned up the offense in the second quarter. A 16-6 run to open the quarter gave the Hornets the lead. Jalen McDaniels had 11 points and Gordon Hayward had 10 points in the frame as Charlotte totaled 37 points to deadlock the game 64-64 at halftime.
The upset was very much in play in the third quarter as the Hornets and Bucks traded the lead for most of the period.
Khris Middleton scored 10 points in the quarter as Milwaukee edged out to a 97-90 lead by the end of the period. A 16-5 run for the Bucks to close the quarter squandered Charlotte's hopes heading into the final quarter.
Milwaukee led by as much as 14 points in the final quarter to all but secure the lead as time ran out.
The Hornets pulled the margin to five points in the closing minutes but were unable to complete the comeback, ultimately losing 124-115.
Antetokounmpo led the game with 34 points and 18 rebounds.
LaMelo Ball finished with 27 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds for his first triple-double of the season. It's the 7th triple-double of his career. Mason Plumlee finished with a double-double.
Both teams have seen better days in terms of shooting percentage. The Hornets made just 37.5% of their shots from the field while the Bucks made just 41%.
Charlotte (15-37) is next in action on Thursday against the Chicago Bulls (23-27) on the road.
Milwaukee (34-17) will try to defend their five-game winning streak at home against the Los Angeles Clippers (29-25).