Milwaukee vs. Charlotte: Bucks Sting Hornets In Paris

While the game film probably won’t be hung up in the Louvre, the Milwaukee Bucks surged passed the Charlotte Hornets in the final frame to earn a 116-103 victory.

If my calculations are correct, if the Bucks played every game in Paris, they would never lose a game. Just throwing that out there.

Three Observations

Giannis Antetokounmpo did not disappoint the sell-out crowd last night...or afternoon wherever you were watching from. He was even getting MVP chants while shooting free throws in another country! While the Hornets have been feisty in prior matchups against the Bucks, the MVP was getting whatever he wanted out there on the floor. He logged 32 minutes and dropped 30 points, 16 rebounds, and six assists while sinking 13-of-19 shots. He missed his only three-point attempt, but since Charlotte was providing little to no resistance in the paint, Giannis rarely had to operate outside of the restricted area. Each time he touched the ball, you could feel how antsy the crowd was. They wanted him to put on a show, and he did.

Donte DiVincenzo was freaking awesome in 26 minutes off the bench. I mean, he was FLYING all over the court grabbing rebounds, jumping passing lanes, and driving to the basket to set up his teammates for open looks from deep. Aside from Giannis, he was clearly the best player out on the floor for the Bucks yesterday. He just has a great feel for the game of basketball. He totaled eight points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one blocked shot. He also made 3-of-4 shots from the floor while finishing plus-10. Milwaukee’s ceiling is much higher when he is on the floor.

Both George Hill and Eric Bledsoe provided the Bucks with some much-needed scoring in the first half. With the Bucks trailing for the entire first half, both point guards found success driving to the basket for easy twos. Both did a great job at breaking down the Hornets defense throughout the game and they combined to drop 36 points, six rebounds, and seven assists while shooting 13-of-25 from the floor. This was an odd game, which was to be expected playing in an arena for the first time plus the jetlag. No complaints here, though.

Bonus Bucks

• Brook Lopez contributed 12 points in 25 minutes and got off to a fast start in the first quarter with the Bucks coming out of the gate sluggish.
• Kyle Korver hit some big threes in the third quarter to help get Milwaukee closer and eventually steal back the momentum.
• I swear Malik Monk is only good at basketball against the Bucks. He scored 31 points yesterday. Over the previous five games combined, he had scored 32. Lol.