104
94(OT)
One day after the Carolina Panthers clinched the NFC South title, many were hoping that the Charlotte Hornets would continue to give Charlotte something to cheer about in last night's match-up against the Milwaukee Bucks at Time Warner Cable Arena. After being down for almost the entire game, Charlotte would make a strong comeback, but in the end, Milwaukee had the last laugh, as they escaped out of Charlotte with a 104-94 win in overtime. With the loss, the Hornets are now 10-22 on the season.
What did the Hornets in was their field goal percentage, shooting a dismal 36.7% from the field, a main concern for a team that's missing Lance Stephenson still with a pelvic injury. That allowed the Bucks to jump out to a lead of 21 points, which also doomed the Hornets as well in the loss.
Milwaukee was led by Brandon Knight with 18 points on 8-of-19 shooting from the field, while the Hornets in the loss were led by Kemba Walker and his 28 points.
Charlotte will have 2 tough games that won't be no easy walk in the park, with the first of them starting tomorrow night on New Year's Eve in Houston against Dwight Howard, James Harden, and the Houston Rockets for a 7:00 p.m. start at the Toyota Center.
Milwaukee Bucks(15-16) vs. Charlotte Hornets(10-21)
Time Warner Cable Arena
Monday, 7:00 p.m.
Television: SportSouth
Radio: WFNZ-AM(610 The Fan)
Last 2 meetings: Charlotte 108, Milwaukee 101(December 23rd at Milwaukee); Charlotte 108, Milwaukee 106(2OT on October 29th at Charlotte)
Series history(since original Hornets first season in 1988-89): Series tied 48-48 all time
The Charlotte Hornets and Milwaukee Bucks will wrap up their 3-game season series tonight, this time around it will be on the Hornets home floor of Time Warner Cable Arena in Uptown Charlotte. The last time these two teams met was almost 7 days ago, when Charlotte traveled to Milwaukee and defeated the Bucks 108-101 behind Kemba Walker's 27 point performance.
Charlotte is coming off a rough performance on Saturday, as Orlando defeated Charlotte 102-94, despite Walker's 42 point performance, along with a Charlotte NBA basketball franchise(dating back to the original Charlotte Hornets first season in 1988-89) record 35 points in the second half, surpassing the previous mark of 28 set by former Hornets Kelly Tripucka and Glen Rice, while the Bucks meanwhile, are coming off a 90-85 loss to Atlanta back on Saturday at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
Scouting the Bucks
The 15-16 Milwaukee Bucks are coming off a 5-point loss on Saturday to the Atlanta Hawks at the BMO Harris Bradley Center, despite Khris Middleton leading the way with 21 points in the loss. The last time Milwaukee and Charlotte met was last Tuesday, with the Hornets coming away with a 108-101 win to clinch the season series, and tonight, the Buck hope to avoid the season sweep by Charlotte, as they visit "The Queen City" for the third and final time this season.
Scouting the Hornets
Charlotte is coming off 2 rough outings after winning 4 straight, including a blowout loss at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road back on Friday, and a defeat at the hands of the Orlando Magic on Saturday night at "The Hive", despite Kemba Walker's career-high 42-point performance, including 35 points in the second half, setting a Charlotte Hornets franchise record for points in a half, surpassing the previous mark of 28 in a half accomplished by former Hornets Kelly Tripucka in 1988 and Glen Rice, who did it twice in 1997 and again in 1998. The Hornets are looking to get back into the win column, and looking to sweep the season series against the Bucks tonight, as the Hornets welcome in the Milwaukee Bucks for the third and final time in the 2014-15 season.
Next 4 games for the Hornets(Home games in Purple, Road games in Teal)
Wednesday: Charlotte @ Houston Rockets(7:00 p.m.)
Friday: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Charlotte(7:00 p.m.)
Saturday: Charlotte @ Orlando Magic*(7:00 p.m.)
Next Monday: Charlotte @ Boston Celtics(7:30 p.m.)
*-Southeast Division game
NOTES: All SportSouth telecasts begin with "Hornets Live" 30 minutes before tip-off; All Hornets games can be heard locally on flagship station WFNZ-AM(610 The Fan) and throughout the Carolinas on the Hornets Radio Network.
108
101
The Charlotte Hornets have been starting to find a formula in their last few games - sticking with the game plan and adding in some defensive pressure in the process. That and the solid play of Kemba Walker has all contributed to Charlotte notching it's 4th straight win last night in Milwaukee, defeating the Bucks 108-101 to go to 10-19 on the season.
Despite being outsmarted in the transition game, Hornets head coach Steve Clifford was pleased to see his defense step it up in the fourth quarter, an area that the team has struggled a few times with this season. "They beat us in transition, but in the fourth quarter, when they needed to be, our defense was good." Clifford said.
Walker did lead the Hornets in scoring with 27 points on 9-of-18 shooting from the field to lead the Hornets group of double-figure scorers in last night's win. Joining him was Gerald Henderson, who was 6-of-10 from the field to end up with 20 points, while Marvin Williams and Al Jefferson each had 12, with P.J. Hairston and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist each adding in 10 points. Charlotte managed to out-shoot the Bucks from the free-throw line with a 77.8% average from that area, while they out-rebounded the Bucks by a plus-3 margin(43-40).
Milwaukee, who was coming off a four-game West Coast road swing, was led in scoring by Brandon Knight with a game-high 34 points to lead the Bucks, while he was joined by Khris Middleton with 12 points. Giannis Antetokounmpo would finish up with 11 points and rounding out the list of double-figure scorers for the Bucks was Jared Dudley with 10 on the night.
The Charlotte Hornets will enjoy the next 2 days off for Christmas before they jump back into action on Friday night in Oklahoma City against Russell Westbrook and the Thunder for a 8:00 p.m. start at Chesapeake Energy Arena, before they return home to Time Warner Cable Arena on Saturday to square off against the Orlando Magic.
Charlotte Hornets(9-19) vs. Milwaukee Bucks(14-14)
BMO Harris Bradley Center, Milwaukee
Tuesday, 8:00 p.m.
Television: SportSouth
Radio: WFNZ-AM(610 The Fan)
Last meeting: Charlotte 108, Milwaukee 106(Overtime on October 29th in Charlotte)
Series history(since original Hornets first season in 1988-89): MIL leads series 48-47 all-time
The Charlotte Hornets are facing another back-to-back set of games, as they visit Milwaukee tonight looking for their 4th straight win as they take on the Bucks. The last time these two teams met, was back on Opening Night in Charlotte, where Kemba Walker was clutch for the Hornets in their 108-106 win over Milwaukee in Overtime back on October 29th at Time Warner Cable Arena. Charlotte won convincingly last night at home, defeating the Denver Nuggets 110-82 for their third straight win, while Milwaukee is coming off a 106-102 loss at the hands of the Los Angeles Clippers last Saturday.
Scouting the Hornets
The Charlotte Hornets come into tonight's game with a 3-game win streak under their belt, earning it in a 28-point blowout of the Denver Nuggets 110-82 last night at "The Hive" behind Al Jefferson's 22 point outing in the win for the Hornets, while Kemba Walker has been continuing his solid play over the last few games as well. The two need to have another strong outing this evening for the Hornets, as they visit Milwaukee to battle the Bucks, who they defeated in overtime back on October 29th in Charlotte, as they look for their 4th straight win.
Scouting the Bucks
Milwaukee comes in sitting at the .500 mark(14-14), and entering tonight's game after a 106-102 close call at the hands of the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night. Milwaukee has 2 star players to keep your eyes open for, and that's Brandon Knight and Giannis Antetokounmpo, these two have to carry the load for the Bucks now that Jabari Parker is done for the season, and they have been giving Milwaukee a solid chance to win night in and night out. Look for either one of these two to have a good game tonight, as Milwaukee welcomes in the Charlotte Hornets to the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
Next 4 games for the Hornets(Home games in Purple, Road games in Teal)
Friday: Charlotte @ Oklahoma City Thunder(8:00 p.m.)
Saturday: Orlando Magic vs. Charlotte*(7:00 p.m.)
Monday: Milwaukee Bucks vs. Charlotte(7:00 p.m.)
Wednesday: Charlotte @ Houston Rockets(7:00 p.m.)
*-Southeast Division game
NOTES: All SportSouth telecasts begin with "Hornets Live" 30 minutes before tip-off; All Hornets games can be heard locally on flagship station WFNZ-AM(610 The Fan) and throughout the Carolinas on the Hornets Radio Network.
106
108(OT)
If you were old enough to remember where you were on November 4, 1988, when the original Charlotte Hornets took the floor against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the old Charlotte Coliseum, you knew that Cleveland blew out Charlotte by 40 133-93, and the fans that stayed until the end gave the Hornets a standing ovation. Fast forward to last night, October 29, 2014, the date that fans have been waiting for since 2002, as the rebranded Charlotte Hornets made their return in thrilling style, and this time around, they didn't get blown out by 40, they came back from 24 points down in the third and to give the sellout crowd of 19,439 something to cheer about as they defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in overtime 108-106 for their first regular season win since 2002, and not only that, the 24 point deficit was the largest comeback in the 25 year history of Charlotte NBA Basketball(since 1988) by any team, Hornets or Bobcats.
The person that made it all happen was Kemba "Klutch" Walker, who tied it with a three in regulation and won it with a fade-away jumper in overtime, after he and the Hornets agreed on a 4-year extension to keep him in Charlotte. "I was so high on adrenaline that I couldn't calm down. I was so anxious to be out there and the crowd was so into it." Walker said.
Walker would finish the night with 26 points to lead the Hornets in the win, pleasing head coach Steve Clifford on how his team stuck together and to battle back to get the win. "He's courageous. I asked him if he was good and he said "I'll make one more play." And he did." quoted Clifford. As team, Charlotte only shot 40.6% from the field, despite Milwaukee out-shooting them with 48.8%. The Hornets also had several other players reach double-figures, including Marvin Williams, who added in 19 points, while Michael Kidd-Gilchrist finished his night with 17 points, after the team announced prior to last night's game that they exercised his fourth-year option. "Big Al" Jefferson would pick up where he left off last season, with a double-double as he had 14 points and 10 rebounds and rounding out the group of double-figure scorers for the Hornets was Cody Zeller, who had 11 points off the bench in the win.
Milwaukee was led in scoring by Brandon Knight, who had 22 points to go with 13 assists, while he was joined in the effort by O.J. Mayo and Khris Middleton, who had 17 points each and Giannis Antetokounmpo, along with Larry Sanders each had 10 to round out the group of double-figure scorers for the Bucks(0-1)
The Hive was totally alive last night, and the fans totally enjoyed every single minute of it, as the Hornets hope to carry that momentum into Saturday night's game at Time Warner Cable Arena against the Memphis Grizzlies at 7:00 p.m., as they will re-hang the number 13 jersey of the late Bobby Phills at halftime of the game on Saturday.
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Charlotte Hornets
Time Warner Cable Arena
Wednesday, 7:00 p.m.
Television: SportSouth
Radio: WFNZ 610 AM/WBAV 101.9 FM
Series history(since original Hornets first season in 1988): MIL leads series 48-46
After 4,578 days, the Charlotte Hornets will finally play its first regular season game since 2002, as they welcome in the Milwaukee Bucks to "The Hive" on Wednesday night. The Hornets look to pick up where they left off from last season, when the then-Bobcats won 43 games and earning a trip to the NBA Playoffs, in which they were swept in 4 games by the Miami Heat, while the Bucks look to get out to a early start in their opener as they look towards a turnaround year in Milwaukee.
Scouting the Bucks
After a dismal 2013-14 season, the Milwaukee Bucks are hoping for a much better year this season, and they look to get on the right track on Wednesday, as they open up the season in Charlotte against the Hornets. The Bucks have a new look, and a new attitude, as Jason Kidd takes over the helm as their head coach, while Jabari Parker will make his long-awaited rookie debut.
Milwaukee hopes that a young talented core could give them a major boost in the 2014-15 season, and we will see it in action on Wednesday, as the Bucks square off against the Hornets in Charlotte.
Scouting the Hornets
The last time the Charlotte Hornets played a regular season game was back on April 17, 2002, when they defeated the Chicago Bulls 112-106 at the old Charlotte Coliseum off of Tyvola Road. 12 years later, the Hornets are finally back, and are ready to begin an exciting and historic chapter in Charlotte NBA history, as they will make their grand return on Wednesday night at Time Warner Cable Arena against the Milwaukee Bucks. The Hornets have made a lot of noise this past off-season, as they landed Lance Stephenson, and adding rookies Noah Vonleh and P.J. Hairston to a Hornets squad that may be the surprise team to watch in a competitive Eastern Conference, and who knows, they could possibly be a lock to capture their first ever division title in the 25-year history of Charlotte NBA Basketball, dating back to the franchise's inception in 1988.
Everyone in Charlotte is anxiously waiting to see what the Hornets will do after a successful 2013-14 campaign when they were known as the Bobcats, and "The Hive" will be alive again on Wednesday, as the Hornets welcome the Milwaukee Bucks to Charlotte.
Next 4 games for the Hornets(Home games in Purple, Road games in Teal)
Saturday: Memphis Grizzlies @ Charlotte(7:00 p.m.)
Sunday: Charlotte @ New York Knicks(7:30 p.m.)
Next Tuesday: Charlotte @ New Orleans Pelicans(8:00 p.m.)
Next Wednesday: Miami Heat @ Charlotte*(7:00 p.m.)
*-Southeast Division Game
NOTES: All SportSouth telecasts begin with "Hornets Live" 30 minutes before tip-off; All Hornets games can be heard locally on flagship station WFNZ-AM(610 The Fan) and throughout the Carolinas on the Hornets Radio Network.
Today installment of our "30 Teams in 30 Days" NBA season preview series takes us up to Milwaukee, where we will take a look at a rebuilding Milwaukee Bucks team that is hoping to have a solid year after a rough go of it back in the 2013-14 campaign.
Last season's record: 15-67(5th in Central Division and Eastern Conference)
Head Coach: Jason Kidd(2nd season, 44-38 overall; 1st season with Milwaukee)
Arena: BMO Harris Bradley Center(18,717)
Website: Bucks.com
When Larry Drew arrived in Milwaukee, his main objective was to make a team a contender, just like he did in his 3 years as the head coach in Atlanta with the Hawks, and his expectations didn't go the way it would meant to be for the Bucks, as he only lasted just one season with a 15-67 mark, ending not only his tenure, but the era of longtime Bucks owner Herb Kohl, who sold the team to Wesley Edens and Marc Lasry.
Then, the team would pull off an unusual trade: they would acquire the coaching rights to Jason Kidd from the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for two second-round picks in the NBA Draft in 2015 and in 2019. Milwaukee would later add on to its rebuilding blueprint by drafting Jabari Parker out of Duke University with the second overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.
Now, the Bucks are well determined to have somewhat of a learning curve if they want to get back to their competitive ways again, with Jason Kidd at the helm, the Bucks could have a little bit of struggles in them this season, but they are more looking forward to building a brighter future down the road in Milwaukee, now and in the years to come.
Upcoming team previews in the "30 Teams in 30 Days" series:
- Monday: Detroit Pistons
- Tuesday: Cleveland Cavaliers
- Wednesday: Toronto Raptors
- Thursday: Boston Celtics
- Friday: New York Knicks
- Saturday: Brooklyn Nets
- Next Sunday: Philadelphia 76ers
- Next Monday: Washington Wizards
- Next Tuesday: Charlotte Hornets
