By Sam Perley, hornets.com
A strong first half set the tone for the visiting Charlotte Hornets as they finished off a dominating, all-around performance with a 107-96 win over the Bucks on Wednesday, Oct. 26 in Milwaukee. From start to finish, Charlotte had Milwaukee’s number, leading by as many as 24 points and never trailing at any point of the night. Despite playing just seven games all of last season, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist showed no signs of rust for the Hornets as he put up a double-double with team highs in both scoring (23 points) and rebounding (14).
Turning Point Charlotte took control of the game from the beginning, opening up a 32-24 lead over the Bucks by the end of the first quarter and then increasing the advantage to 15 points by halftime. Kemba Walker put a team-high 12 first-half points while Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (11 points), Cody Zeller (11 points) and Marvin Williams (10 points) were also in double figures through the first two quarters. Milwaukee was never able to get back out in front as the Hornets led wire-to-wire for their first regular season victory of the year.
Hornets Player of the Game Michael Kidd-Gilchrist put together one of the finest performances of his NBA career, finishing with 23 points on 10-of-18 shooting to go along with a game-high 14 rebounds. Charlotte had just eight games all of last season in which a player tallied at least 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Bucks Player of the Game Giannis Antetokounmpo had a dynamic outing for Milwaukee as he recorded a game-high 31 points, nine rebounds and five assists in the loss. Antetokounmpo had just two 30-point games all of last season for the Bucks.
Games Notes Marvin Williams also tallied a double-double, finishing with 13 points and 10 rebounds… Roy Hibbert tacked on 15 points, nine rebounds, three assists and a game-high five blocks in his regular season debut for the Hornets… Kemba Walker chipped in 17 points and a game-high eight assists… Cody Zeller scored 15 points in 14 minutes off the bench, his first live-game action after being sidelined the entire preseason (knee)… Frank Kaminsky (foot) and Brian Roberts (hamstring) were unavailable for the Hornets.
Quote of the Night “My teammates are encouraging me and I’m working extremely hard. The coaches believe in me as well. So, I’m just going to continue to work. It’s up to me to go out there and put forth the effort. I’m really happy to be on this team.” – Roy Hibbert
Next Up The Hornets head south to take on the Heat at 8 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 28 in Miami. The game can be seen on FOX Sports Southeast or heard on WFNZ or on the official Charlotte Hornets mobile app.
