Bobby Portis scored 25 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo added 24 to lead the visiting Milwaukee Bucks to a 123-113 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night.
Milwaukee has now won consecutive games for the first time since the end of October and has won three of its last four.
Antetokounmpo added seven assists in just 25 minutes with his restriction coming back from a calf strain. Myles Turner added 23 points and Kevin Porter Jr. scored 15 with 11 assists.
Charlotte’s two-game win streak comes to an end. Brandon Miller led the Hornets with 31 points and eight rebounds, while LaMelo Ball scored 26 with seven assists.
Kon Knueppel (ankle) was unable to play for Charlotte, which also lost Miles Bridges to a right ankle injury in the first quarter.
It was a back-and-forth first half, with Milwaukee taking the early edge, then Charlotte going on a 14-0 run in the second that helped the Hornets go into halftime up 66-63.
Miller, Ball, and Collin Sexton combined for 44 of the Hornets’ 66 points in the half, while Ryan Rollins led Milwaukee with 12.
Milwaukee found rhythm in the third, shooting 50% from the floor in the quarter and holding the Hornets to just 34.6% shooting. The Bucks went into the fourth up 95-89.
The fourth quarter started with Ball and Portis trading shots, each making two straight 3-pointers for their teams. Portis then hit another before an Antetokounmpo layup led to a Charlotte timeout as Milwaukee pulled ahead by nine points.
Ultimately, Charlotte didn’t have enough for the comeback. Antetokounmpo and Portis each scored 11 in the final quarter and the Hornets shot just 36% from the floor and 5-for-22 from deep in the second half.
Milwaukee has now won nine of its last 11 games against Charlotte.
