Field Level Media
Nov 30, 2019
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 26 points in just 20 minutes of action, leading nine Milwaukee Bucks in double figures as they cruised to their 11th straight win with a 137-96 rout of the visiting Charlotte Hornets on Saturday at Fiserv Forum.
Milwaukee never trailed, building a double-digit lead less than seven minutes into the first quarter. The Hornets trimmed the deficit to three early in the second quarter, paced by the jump shooting of guards Terry Rozier and Devonte' Graham, but got no closer.
The Bucks quickly pushed the gap to 23 points three minutes out of halftime. Wesley Matthews hit back-to-back 3-pointers early in the period, part of his 3-for-6 shooting from deep and 14 points.
Robin Lopez knocked down three 3-pointers and finished with 13 points. The Bucks hit 20 of 44 (45.5 percent) from long range as a team.
Donte DiVincenzo, D.J. Wilson, Ersan Ilyasova, George Hill and Dragan Bender all got in on the 3-point shooting with multiple made attempts. Each joined in the mob of Bucks scoring in double figures. Khris Middleton scored 15 to pace a Bucks bench that scored 72 points.
Eric Bledsoe scored just two points but took only a pair of shots, and his 10 assists led Milwaukee to a season-high 41 as a team.
The key difference-maker for Milwaukee was Antetokounmpo. Charlotte had no answer for the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player, who shot 11 of 19 from the floor, grabbed nine rebounds and helped facilitate the outside shooting with four assists.
Despite his outstanding all-around performance, Antetokounmpo's double-double streak to open the season ended at 19 games. His was the longest such streak since Bill Walton recorded 34 straight in 1976-77.
The Eastern Conference-leading Bucks closed November 15-1 for the month.
The Hornets came into Saturday's matchup with back-to-back wins, both against Detroit.
Graham and Rozier, Charlotte's leading scorers on the season, led the way with 24 and 19 points respectively. Rookie P.J. Washington scored a season-high 26 points on Friday, but failed to replicate that level of efficiency on a 3-of-12 shooting night. He finished with seven points.
--Field Level Media