CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The number of star players wearing expensive clothing rather than uniforms inside the Spectrum Center on Saturday was higher than usual, multiplied because the Hornets’ opponent, Milwaukee, was resting its All-Star and other key team members.
With the Bucks playing without Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday, the Charlotte Hornets had an opportunity to take advantage of a lineup devoid of most of its top firepower and keep their recent success at home going.
Considering Milwaukee was on the tail end of a back-to-back, and the Hornets were once again without LaMelo Ball, Gordon Hayward, Dennis Smith Jr. and Cody Martin, this had the makings of a more evenly matched contest.
Instead, the Bucks took a cue from the halftime act of Duo Transcend and skated power circles around Charlotte, while the Hornets were lethargic in a 105-96 loss.
Here are some key takeaways from the Hornets’ second defeat in their last three games:
Cold as ice
Let’s begin with the positive: the Hornets (7-16) sank 88.5% of their free throws.
The problem? That’s about all they could hit against Milwaukee.
Shots were clanking off the rim the entire evening, a frustrating display even for the team featuring the league’s next-to-worst field goal percentage. Charlotte’s offensive doldrums were a result of them making 34 of 87 attempts, and they were atrocious beyond the 3-point arc, knocking down just 5 of 24 attempts.
No one’s shooting funk was as bad as PJ Washington’s. Way off with his stroke, Washington misfired on all 13 attempts from the field and went scoreless. He couldn’t negate the offensive production of noted Hornet killer Bobby Portis Jr. (20 points, eight rebounds, seven assists), who burst out of the gate with 11 first-quarter points to set the tone.
Too much hero ball
When the Hornets are at their best, the ball is flowing. And that didn’t happen against the Bucks.
Far too often, the Hornets got wrapped up in individual play and weren’t looking out for the open man, opting to do it themselves. It was a trend from the opening tip, with less than a third of their first-half field goals coming on assists.
Overall, the Hornets amassed only 15 assists on 33 made field goals. That’s not going to get it done against good defensive teams like Milwaukee (16-6) even if the Bucks didn’t have some of their top players available.
Benched
In the battle of reserves, things didn’t exactly go in the Hornets’ favor, either.
Not enough production came from the Hornets’ non-starters, with Milwaukee outscoring the Hornets 31-16 in bench points.
Nick Richards was the only one who did anything of significance with his nine points and five rebounds. All five of the Bucks’ reserves scored while two of the four Hornets to come off the bench — Bryce McGowens and Kai Jones — didn’t top two points.
